


The Shadows Get Some Company

by EyeOfMordor



Category: What We Do in the Shadows (2014)
Genre: F/M, accidentally getting vamps for flatmates, cute vamps being protective of their human flatmate
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-28
Updated: 2016-05-30
Packaged: 2018-05-10 00:32:33
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 23,676
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5561917
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EyeOfMordor/pseuds/EyeOfMordor
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's not very often you end up agreeing to flatshare with three - wait, four - vampires by accident, especially in a country as small as New Zealand, but somehow it happened to Anna. She blames her own unobservant tendencies. But hey, she's desperate for a place to live and the rent is pretty good, so she sticks with it, vampires or no vampires. Both parties have to adjust to flatting with what is essentially an entirely different being, but things seem to iron out eventually.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Desperate Times

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So what exactly is the appropriate response to finding out that your new flatmates are vampires?

I checked the address twice before knocking my knuckles against the door. It was seven o'clock at night, which had seemed like an odd time for a flatmate interview, but I put it down to a busy schedule. A figure peered through the door window from behind curtains, looking nervous, and I waved cheerily at them.

“Hi, I'm here about the room?” I called, before the figure disappeared and the door swung open. In front of me stood an awkwardly smiling young man, wearing a waistcoat and an old fashioned shirt with frills at the cuffs.

“Please, come in,” he said, with an accent that sounded distinctly European. My guess was Germanic or Romanian. I cautiously stepped into the house, looking around at the rather surprising interior. It was like a mix of a bunch of different time periods, but certainly didn't look the most well kept. Still, I was desperate for a place to stay, so it represented my situation pretty well.

I was led through a corridor to a small living room, with an outdated tv that only showed static sitting in the corning. We sat across from one another at a small table, as I slipped my handbag off my shoulder and took out my small notepad and pen.

“I'm Anna, it's nice to meet you,” I said, trying to hide the fact that I was slightly uncomfortable in the odd looking house.

“Oh, ja, I'm Viago,” he replied, as if trying to gather his thoughts. “So, what would you be willing to pay for the room?”

“I'll happily pay anything up to $300 per week,” I explained, opening up the notebook to the page where I'd noted down all my budgeting. “I'm away to start my final year of university but I've got a lot saved up from working during the summers, so no need to worry about me skipping on rent.”

“$300 sounds good,” he nodded, before standing up. “I'll be back in one moment.”

He walked briskly out of the room, and I could hear him talking to someone down the hall. It didn't surprise me that there were others there, it was a big house. He returned moments later, and flashed me a small but brief smile. I thought I noticed fangs, but didn't want to mention anything in case I offended him. “When can you move in?”

“Oh, you'll take me?”

“Yes, yes, of course.”

“Thanks, uh, thanks a lot. I can move in tomorrow if you want, all my stuff is packed.”

“Oh, uh, ja, sure,” Viago nods, clasping his hands together.

“Sweet, I'll pop round about lunchtime?”

“Eh, better make it eight. In the night time. Please,” he responded, motioning me towards the door. I grabbed my handbag and made my way out, catching a brief glimpse of another figure from inside a door way before I was once again standing outside. “Okay, see you tomorrow then.”

“Yeah, see ya,” I said with a wave, walking away. A five minute interview and I had myself a room. A pretty successful night in my books. I made my way down the street towards the bus stop, smiling in relief. The whole summer I'd been worrying about finding myself a new flat, and no matter the décor or how strange the people may seem, I would have a roof over my head by the next day. Plus, they couldn't be that weird, could they?

\---***---

Introductions were quick as all three men helped me carry my things inside. My room was situated at the end of the hall, and was more spacious than I'd expected. A large double bed situated in the centre, the room soon became full of boxes that I would surely put off unpacking for at least a week. Viago gave me a tour of the house while Vladislav took the last box inside from the moving van.

“So there's a few house rules,” he informed me, showing me where the kitchen was. “If you're bringing anyone home, put some towels down first, try not to get blood everywhere. Do your assigned chores, oh, and eh, don't hit the main artery if possible, it gets very messy.”

I stopped dead in my tracks when he mentioned blood.

“What?”

“Well you can't expect others to clean up after you.”

“What the hell are you on about?”

“Vampire's can be tidy, too.”

“ _Vampires?”_

Viago looked at me with wide eyes. “You are a vampire, aren't you?”

I was speechless. In retrospect, with names like Viago, Vladislav, and Deacon, I really shouldn't have been surprised. “Uh, no?” I answered quietly.

“Oh. Em, uh, shit,” Viago mumbled. We stood there a few feet from each other, neither of us moving, the tension in the air thick enough to cut.

“Look, if you guys are, uh, vampires, then I'm totally fine with that. I'll pay rent as long as you don't bite me,” I said in an attempt to bargain. Either they really were vampires, or they were weirdos who were convinced that they were. Either way, my safest bet was to play along.

Viago leaned forward and sniffed. “You don't smell human.”

“Yeah, my perfume is really strong,” I admitted, trying to stay as calm as possible. “Uh, forgive me if you being a vampire is hard to believe, but how do I know you're not just pretending?”

That was when Viago started hovering above the ground.

“Okay, that's pretty convincing,” I muttered, utterly bemused by what I was seeing. “This does make a lot of sense though. The house, the fashion taste, it kinda fits.”

“What's going on?” a deep voice said from behind me, making me jump forward. Vladislav had near enough materialised, and was frowning at the two of us.

“Uh, Anna isn't a vampire.”

“She's not a werewolf is she?”

“No, she's uh.. human.”

Vladislav looked at me for about three seconds before his mouth opened wide in a snarl and I got a full view of his fangs as they sped towards me. I ducked out of the way and hid behind the still floating Viago.

“I won't tell anyone, I promise,” I yelled, flinching behind his legs. “I'm just a uni student who desperately needs a place to live till I graduate. I really don't care that you're vampires, as long as you let me stay I'll keep quiet.”

“Vlad, we can let her stay,” Viago said, although he sounded unsure. “We need the extra money if we're to keep this place.”

“And what happens if she does tell? There'll be Christians at every window,” Vladislav yelled angrily. “It's too much of a risk, we must kill her.”

“Please, no,” I whimpered. “Look, let me live here for the next year and then once I graduate I'll be gone and you'll never see me again. Please, I promise I won't tell. Honestly it's rather terrifying but also kinda intriguing.”

There was silence while the two vampires glared at each other. Vladislav was the first to break it. “Fine.”

He stalked off as Viago returned to his feet, turning around and giving me an anxious shrug. “Don't worry, he's like that to everyone.”

“I'm... I'm going to bed. I'll sort my stuff out in the morning, I think I just need to sleep right now,” I sighed, speed walking towards my room. Viago called out something behind me but I didn't hear it before I shut my door, propping a chair under the handle for good measure. I knew it wouldn't do much to stop a vampire, but it made the room feel a little safer. I got changed into the first pair of pyjamas I could find and slipped under the duvet, shuddering in the cold bed. Sleep took it's time to come to me, my brain too full with thoughts about how I was now living with three vampires. Vampires who killed humans. Who drank blood. Who could float. It was all too much.

I eventually slept, but not for long. I dreamt of dark faces and glinting fangs, and suddenly immense pain. I was woken by the sound of a crash coming from my door, and when I looked up all three of the men stood in my doorway, the chair hurled across to the other side of the room.

“Are you okay, we heard screaming?” Vlad said, looking around the room. “Is somebody in here?”

“No, shit, sorry. Bad nightmare,” I said, running a hand through my hair. Deacon and Vlad looked rather agitated, but Viago looked a bit more sympathetic. “I'm uh, really sorry guys. I guess the whole vampire thing is a lot to take in.”

They left me to get back to sleep, but after an hour of trying I gave up all hope of anymore rest. Wrapping the entire duvet around myself, I softly padded downstairs to the kitchen, spent fifteen minutes looking for a clean cup, and got myself some water. I would have gone for tea, but the lack of teabags put me off that one.

When I turned to exit back into the hallway a figure in front of me appeared, causing me to gasp and the glass to slip from my hand. I expected to hear a shatter moments later, but instead Deacon stood there with it in his hands. “You should really be more careful,” he said, looking right at me. “Shouldn't you be in bed?”

“Can't sleep,” I explained, as he handed me back the glass. “And thanks. This whole day's been rather exhausting.”

“I can calm your nerves,” he said with a grin. I got his meaning immediately and frowned.

“I haven't even known you one full day and you're already asking me to sleep with you.”

He simply shrugged.

“No thanks mate,” I said with a roll of my eyes. “Although, in fairness, the leather trousers are nice. Eh, maybe you'll get lucky one day.”

“Is that day tomorrow?”

“Not a chance. You're a vampire, can't you just go out and, I dunno, find someone?”

“Well, yes, but none as attractive as you.”

“Flattery will get you nowhere,” I laughed, “but thanks for the compliment anyway.”

I walked past him and along the corridor with Deacon in pursuit, entering the living room to find Vlad and Viago at the small table. I gave them a small wave as I got myself comfy on the couch, sipping at the water as the third vampire entered the room after me.

“I see she's managed to resist your non-existent charm,” Vlad laughed.

“For now,” Deacon added.

“What can I say, I'm a sucker for a guy in leather trousers,” I shrugged. The lack of sleep was making me less tense, and I became determined to get some answers about the nocturnal creatures I would be living with.

“So, Vampires – how does that work?” I questioned, having them all turn to me. “Like, exactly how much of the clichés are true?”

“We can't go out in sunlight or we burn,” Viago started.

“We drink blood, and can turn others by having them drink our blood.”

“We can turn into bats, some of us into other things.”

“Hypnotism is also a thing, although Viago's pretty shit at it.”

“Deacon!”

“What? It's true.”

“Do humans not get suspicious when heaps of people go missing from the same area?” I asked.

“No, not if you cover your tracks,” Deacon shrugged. “It takes practice, but we've lived here for years without anyone questioning it.”

“So what else is real? Any super speed?”

“Uh, kind of. We have quite a lot of strength if we need to thought,” Viago explained.

“We also have to be invited into places if we want to go inside.”

“Aw man, that must suck,” I sighed, sipping more water.

“Eh, you get around it,” Viago shrugged.

“Man, you guys must have so many stories. You must have lived through all the wars, all the great movements through history, seen the world evolve around you,” I revelled, smiling a little. “I'd love to hear some of it. Who out of all of you is the oldest, if you don't mind me asking?”

“Oh, technically that would be Petyr, but out of us three it's Vlad,” Deacon said.

“Wait, who?”

“Petyr. You know, lives in the basement, 8000 years old?” he continued. When he saw the look on my face he turned and whispered to Viago. “You did tell her about Petyr, right? More importantly, you told Petyr about her?”

“Uh, I was going to let you tell him, he likes you the most,” Viago shrunk, before apologetically smiling at me.

“You'd better tell him before he turns her into a vampire,” Vlad chuckled.

“Yeah, I'd rather stay human,” I nodded, and Deacon shrugged. He walked off, presumably to announce my 'not-to-bite' status to the fourth vampire that I was yet to meet. That left me to interrogate the other two. “So, uh, do you guys actually have any food in the house? I haven't really eaten since lunch.”

Vlad was grinning widely, and Viago looked worried. “Vladislav, don't you dare,” he said, but the other man was already out and down the hallway. I frowned in confusion, and my expression stayed like that as I was called towards the kitchen. I padded through the hall, duvet still wrapped around me, and I found Vlad – as well as Deacon who seemed to have forgotten his previous duties – standing with a plate of what looked like tinned spaghetti. Both wore unsettling grins.

“Here, Anna, have some biz-getti,” Deacon said, his odd pronunciation making me frown even more. He handed me a plate and fork, and both stood there patiently. Not wanting to be rude, I set the plate down on the table and began to eat. It was cold, tasted slightly off, but food was food and after the day I'd had anything would do.

“Anna,” Deacon continued, as Viago appeared behind me. He seemed anxious, although slightly amused. “I didn't know you enjoyed eating worms.”

I could feel something wriggling in my mouth, and within seconds I spat it back out onto the plate. They were all over the place, worms writing and squirming in the spaghetti sauce.

“I didn't know you guys were the fucking lost boys,” I said in shock, throwing my fork down. Vlad started laughing, and I blinked before finding it was just food again. “What the hell man!”

“Sorry, couldn't resist, we always do it to humans,” Vlad grinned.

“What, humans you're gonna eat?” I asked, to which he nodded. “Wait, so do you like, bring victims back here and stuff? Am I gonna be woken up in the middle of the night by screams of death?”

“Eh, maybe,” Viago shrugged. “They usually don't scream though, more of a silent gasp.”

“Good to know at least my sleeping pattern will be normal,” I sighed, pushing away the plate. “Thanks for the food guys, but for some reason my appetite is gone. What time is it anyway?”

“Eleven at night.”

“Wow, I must have gone to bed earlier than I thought. I presume you guys sleep when the sun comes up?”

“Yes, but before that we party!” Deacon bragged, shooting me a wink. I rolled my eyes and turned to Viago.

“You guys go into town at all?”

“Ja, all the time. Lots of people, a good pick you know,” he replied. I was sure his answer was meant to be innocent enough, but it did send a small shudder through me. I'd been living in Wellington for three years, and more often than not I'd been out with mates on a Friday or Saturday night. They could have ended up picking me for one of their victims, for their food. I tried not to linger on it.

“Don't suppose you wanna go out tonight? I doubt I'll get any more sleep and I think I'd feel a lot less anxious about the whole vampire thing with a few rum and cokes in me.” In truth, I just wanted to be near some other humans, but I didn't want to anger them by saying it aloud.

They all shared looks and nodded, rushing off to get ready. Vlad yelled something about being hungry, and I followed their lead and started pillaging through my boxes. I chose the first presentable thing I could find; a pattered casual shirt, leather jacket, and some denim shorts that I threw on over a pair of tights. My hair in a loose bun, I walked out of my room to see the three guys in an odd but rather fitting ensemble. “You ready?” Deacon asked.

“Yeah, lets see what a night out on the town with vampire is like.”

 


	2. Desperate Measures

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vampires are really good for two things:  
> 1) Making out  
> 2) Getting you drunk

It wasn't as exciting as I expected, although it didn't exactly go to plan. For one, Deacon ended up in my bed.

Because of them needing to be invited in, the three vamps found it difficult to get into some places. My usual go to place was a place called The Captains Ship – what can I say, I like my rum – but we failed to get in. So instead, we ended up at a place called Big Kumra, which was apparently vampire owned and run. I'd given it passing glances before, but never considered going in.

It was pretty quiet, with a few people sitting and chatting while Viago showed off his dance moves that gave me crippling second hand embarrassment. I was sipping on my fourth rum and coke when Deacon joined me in the seat adjacent.

“Where'd Vlad go off to?” I asked as he rested his arm on the back of my seat.

“Went to go get a snack,” he said, grinning mischievously as I realised what he meant. “He'll probably just meet us back at the house.”

“What about you, you not hungry?” I said in attempt to make conversation.

“Yes, but not for the same kind of food,” he smiled, wiggling his eyebrows.

“Deacon, do you ever think with your brain instead of your penis?” I sighed, slightly amused at his attempts at winning me over. “To be honest, I'm usually all down for one night stands – and boy could I tell you a few stories about them – but I dunno if the fact that you're a vampire makes you more or less attractive.”

“When you become a vampire you become very sexy,” he said, motioning down his body, making me laugh.

"Eh, you wouldn't be the worst I've slept with. Also vampire sex is kinda an intriguing idea. I'm curious if it's better or not.”

“Why don't I let you find out then?”

I looked to my glass, downed the rest of the booze, and looked back to Deacon. “Why the fuck not, try new things right?”

A victorious grin spread across his face, and suddenly his arm was around me and he was leaning in closely. I was worried he'd taste weird, but there was no difference really. His fangs felt sharp whenever they brushed my lips, but he was being careful with me, and for that I was grateful.

It went on for a while like that, the two of us at a table in the corner of the club. Eventually we noticed the Viago had seen us, as well as some others, and we decided to head home for some more privacy.

As I stumbled through the streets of Wellington, the rum making my stability go out the window, Deacon held me up as we walked. I started telling him about uni, about how I was desperate to finish my zoology degree and go do some research in the field, how I was already freaking out over the idea of my dissertation at the end of the year, about how I missed my friends that I let drift away. I don't know how long it took to get home, but it was long enough to unload all of my emotional baggage to the vampire helping me stay on my feet. He didn't say much, just listened, although I had no idea if he was taking any of it in.

When we eventually got through the door I left my shoes and jacket in a pile on the floor, and Deacon helped me up the stairs to my room. He lay me down gently, and was about to turn and go, but I caught his arm. “What happened to the plan?” I asked him in my tipsy stupor.

“Eh, you're too drunk,” he said, turning away again. I pulled back on his arm and he landed on the bed, where I proceeded to wrap my arms around his waist and make him the little spoon.

“Please stay,” I mumbled, my head resting by his neck.

“Fine,” he said, a little disgruntled but without any anger. “At least let me take my jacket off.”

I let him go, slightly worried that he'd use the opportunity to slip away, but he returned to the bed and got himself comfortable as my arms returned to their previous position. “You know, you're surprisingly comfy for a vampire,” I mused. That got me a small chuckle. “Thanks for listening to my ranting. And for making out with me. That was nice too.”

“Go to sleep,” he sighed, his voice softer than usual. I nuzzled my face into his neck a little more, made sure I was comfy, and let my heavy eyelids shut for the night. That time, I didn't have any nightmares.

\---***---

When I woke up at eleven the next morning, I was alone in my bed. I knew he probably left just before sunrise, somehow managing to get out of my grip without waking me. I was too hungover to worry if what happened last night was good or not, but I knew that I'd survived my first day of living with vampires, and that was good enough for me.

Finding no food in the kitchen – I thus made a mental note to go to the shops later – I found a pizza place that was open. It arrived within twenty minutes of my call, and I once again found myself eating the same breakfast I'd had a million times over while at uni. It dawned on me that due to their nocturnal schedule I essentially had the house to myself for at least half of the day, and I made the decision that once my hangover subsided I would spend the time unpacking all of my things. The pizza gone an hour later, and my headache reasonably weakened, I got to work on the stacked boxes that were piled high.

First was the clothes, into the large wardrobe that had been provided with the room, and that itself took a good hour. Next was all my books and ornaments, picture frames and the like. I found the sockets in the room and stung up my fairy lights with ease. By four o'clock it felt a little more like a home.

Satisfied with my room, a left a note for the guys, telling them I'd gone out to get some food, just encase they woke up before returned. It was slightly odd being outside the house, as it seemed to have its own entire time period, and I felt like I was stepping out of a time capsule. It was a Sunday afternoon, so the town was fairly quiet, and I went about my business trying to plan for meals to cook for only me. I probably should have double checked if they _could_ eat food at all, but the absence of food in the house suggested they couldn't. I picked up simple stuff, as well as some cleaning products – they were going to help me clean the kitchen and bathroom weather they liked it or not – and got back to the house just before six. As I was putting the food away in the cleanest cupboards I could find, I heard Viago walking along and opening doors, waking the other two up. He popped his head into the kitchen and I waved.

“Morning,” I smiled.

“Morning,” he smiled back, before edging fully into the room. “Uh, last night, Deacon didn't... you know?”

“What? Oh, no, I was too drunk and I just ended up cuddling him to sleep,” I said, laughing a little. “We didn't have sex, if that's what you're asking.”

“Oh, no, I was just making sure he didn't bite you or anything,” Viago confirmed, as my cheeks went red.

“Oh, no, none of that either. I wouldn't worry though, I doubt it'll make things awkward,” I shrugged. “I've slept with flatmates before, and we've always been cool with it.”

“Ja, Deacon will be.. fine,” he nodded. “Did you go out shopping?”

“Yeah, thought I should probably get some human food in here since I refuse to live on tinned spaghetti that you guys can make look like worms.”

“Oh, uh, sorry about that,” he said, looking a little ashamed.

“Eh, don't worry about it, it was kinda cool,” I smiled. “So you guys get up at six?”

“I do, they usually get up sometime after that.”

“Any plans for tonight?”

“Uh, no, Vlad ate last night and Deacon and I earlier in the week, so we probably wont be going out.”

“Well uni doesn't start back for another week so I haven't really got much to do either,” I explained. “I guess I'll just make out with Deacon again.”

Viago didn't seem to understand my sarcasm, but I almost laughed out of irony at who walked into the room, hair a mess.

“Speak of the devil,” I grinned as Deacon took a seat. “Ears burning?”

He rolled his eyes. “How was your head this morning?”

“Eh, I've had worse,” I chuckled. Viago gave us both a look and left silently, as I sat down at the table opposite Deacon, a salad-stuffed sandwich in front of me. I took a hearty bite into it, humming happily as I ate the first proper food in almost twenty four hours. Deacon looked at me in bemusement, and I laughed.

“Look, I'm hungry okay,” I said once I'd finished savouring the first bite. “And uh, sorry about last night, I probably shouldn't have forced you to spoon with me.”

“It's fine, don't worry about it,” he said in a dismissive tone, pulling out a pair of knitting needles and a ball of wool.

“If it's any consolation, there is still a chance of me sleeping with you while sober,” I grinned, before taking another bite and chewing. “You're actually kinda cute in your own way.”

“Uh, thanks,” he said, a little unsure how to respond. “You, uh, looked pretty nice last night as well.”

“Aww Deacon, you do have a heart,” I cooed, patting him lightly on the shoulder. “If you're not busy tonight, I was wondering if you could help me with something.”

“What do you want us to do now?” he frowned.

“No, not the others, just you, it's a one vampire job,” I said with a shake of my head. “I've been needing to get some stuff back from my ex-girlfriends house for like two years now, but she's a complete arse and wont even talk to me. So I was wondering if you could like, I dunno, hypnotise her or something, just long enough for me to find my stuff and go. There's not much, just a bag full of little things that I want back.”

Deacon sighed, probably trying to think of an excuse, but we both knew that he had none. “Fine. Vlad is a better hypnotist, you know.”

“Yeah, but she's less likely to scream when she sees you.”

“Are you saying I am not terrifying? That I am not a bloodthirsty creature of the night?”

“I'm saying that you're short, now come on, I want to do this before she goes out or anything.”

We gave the others a shout to tell them we were leaving, and I led Deacon through the streets. As it turned out, her house wasn't actually that far from my new one, so all we had was a fifteen minute walk.

“This girl, why wont she talk to you?” He asked as we navigated the way.

“She cheated on me and when I called her out on it she completely shut me out. A year and a half together, and just like that I'm nothing to her,” I said with a snap of my fingers. “It hurt me for quite a while, sent my grades plummeting.”

“And you did not enact revenge on this cold hearted bitch?” Deacon exclaimed, getting oddly defensive.

“I mean, there was nothing I could do except struggle to move on,” I said with a sigh. “I did eventually, but it took me a long time.”

“You have me now, we can avenge you're broken heart now,” he laughed, but I shook my head.

“I appreciate the offer, but I'm over her now. I couldn't care what she does, what happens to her, I just want my stuff back,” I said. “I don't like the thought of her still having those few little pieces of me.”

We continued to chat as we got closer, and when the house came into view I went over the plan once more. “Okay, so you hypnotise her, just to blank her out for a few minutes while I go and grab my stuff, yeah?”

“Yes yes, I understand,” he nodded. I edged closer towards the house, ringing the doorbell, and waited nervously as footsteps got closer. She answered the door, as beautiful as the day I met her, and my gut reaction was to punch her in the face.

“Anna? What the hell are-”

“Silence,” Deacon said, waving his hand in front of her. She instantly shut up. “You will invite both of us inside.”

“Please, come inside,” she said, letting us pass. Deacon stepped into the house with ease as I closed the door behind us.

“Okay Deacon, just keep her there while I get my stuff,” I said, walking past him and up the stairs to the room we used to share. My things were exactly where I'd left them, in a small rucksack that I'd left when I moved out. It was dusty and sat in a corner of the room, and everything was still in there except the thirty dollars.

“Bitch,” I muttered, zipping up the rucksack and slipping it over my shoulder. I took a good look around the room for the first time, and she'd changed almost everything since two years ago. I don't know why, but I felt relived. Maybe it was because it didn't feel like the same room anymore, like the room we'd shared so many things in.

I hurried down the stairs expecting to see Deacon still in the hallway, but he was nowhere to be seen. I peered past into the living room and saw him, hunched over a body. Her body. He looked up, and his mouth was tinted with blood.

He looked right at me, eyes wide and black, and mouthed my name.

“Deacon, what are you doing? Are you- is she dead?” I said in panic.

“Yes,” he answered, his voice slightly deeper than usual.

“I-I- what?” I stuttered. At first I was simply shocked at the sight of Deacon feeding, but what shocked me more was my lack of opposition to what he was doing. I felt no remorse, no sorrow for what was happening in front of me, and my own lack of humanity scared me. “I'll, uh, be outside.”

I bolted, dashing straight from the bushes that hid me from view, my breathing sharp and fast. Why hadn't I wanted to tear him away from her neck, to save the girl I'd once poured my heart out to, who had spat my heart right back at me?

I was confused and disorientated when he appeared beside me all of a sudden, causing me to scream for a split second before his hand covered my mouth.

“It's okay, it's just me,” he said, and he took his hand away when I nodded. “Uh, sorry about that, I probably shouldn't have done that while you were around.”

“No, it's fine – well it's not fine actually – its just that when I saw you there, with her dead body just sitting there and all that blood on your mouth I _should_ have been horrified, I should have screamed. But I felt nothing,” I admitted, trying to steady myself. “I don't know what to think about that.”

“It means you've gotten past her,” he said, shrugging. “You've gotten past the heartbreak.”

“I mean, I guess you're right, but I should still have some sort of reaction at death of anyone, no matter who they are,” I sighed. “Maybe it's just all the time in the lab, dissecting things. I guess you just learn to deal with death so clinically.”

“Are you okay, though?” he asked, looking surprisingly concerned.

“Uh, I think so. I got everything I needed,” I nodded. He stood up, and offered his hands to to help me up. I grasped them – not as cold as I'd expected – and he hoisted me up with ease. “Lets just go home, yeah?”

“Yeah,” he agreed, leading the way this time. The walk home was quiet, but I couldn't help looking at the blood that still stained parts of his face and his jacket. He had a certain new spring in his step, which I put down to the good meal, and he would turn towards me as we walked and grin with a small glint of his fangs.

Vlad frowned when we returned, clearly suspecting something odd, but I ignored his glare and headed straight to my room. The rucksack got thrown onto my bed and instantly emptied; a few necklaces, a bottle of perfume, two books, and a picture of us kissing at a nightclub.

“Do any of you guys have a lighter? Or some matches?” I called while walking down the stairs. Viago went into the kitchen a reappeared a moment later with a matchbox, and all three of them followed me outside to the back garden out of what I presumed was sheer curiosity. I struck a match, let it burn for a second, and held it up to the corner of the photo.

“Goodbye forever you cold hearted bitch,” I muttered to myself, letting the flames grow more and more. I stood there for a few minutes, all three vampires standing behind me in silence, watching as first her face was burnt away, and then mine. When only a corner was left I let it fall to the concrete ground, and let the rest of it get turned to ashes. When I turned around, they all looked perplexed. “Burning some bad memories,” I explained.

They followed me back inside, albeit still a bit confused, as I plopped myself down on the sofa with a loud sigh. “I should have bought alcohol.”

“We have some in the house, although I don't know if you'd like it,” Viago said quietly.

“If it's got a percentage of over 15% then I'll take it without complaint.” He nodded, and walked off.

“I've got something that'll knock you out for three days,” Vlad grinned, leaving as well to retrieve his booze of choice. I was yet again left alone with Deacon, which seemed to be happening fairly often.

The other two returned, Viago with a glass flask of a deep red liquid and Vlad with a small dusty hip flask. I went for Viago's, pouring myself a glass and almost choking when I tasted it. “What the hell even is that?” I coughed.

“18th century blood wine,” he explained, and I frowned.

“Blood wine? As in, it's got blood in it?”

“Yes, along with the grape juice wine is usually made from.”

“How is that even a thing? And why is it kinda nice in a weird way?”

“I don't know if it tastes the same to humans, but it's pretty tasty to us.”

“It's fruity but like, really really strong fruity. Nice after-taste though,” I shrugged, sniffing a my glass. “I don't quite know how to feel about it being made from blood thought.”

“Here, try this, blood free,” Vlad said, holing the flask out to me. “I can't drink it anymore since I'm a vampire, but I remember what a kick it has.”

I unscrewed the top and took a brief swig of the liquid inside. It burned, oh hell it burned, and it honestly tasted disgusting. I swallowed most of it, a little being spluttered out as I fought the unbearable urge to cough my lungs up, and I reached for the blood wine to wash away the taste.

“What the fuck-” I coughed, relieved to find that the wine helped with the burning. “Is that vodka or something?”

“A mixture of absinthe and vodka, yes,” he grinned. “Trust me, in about five minutes you'll start to feel it.”

“ _Absinthe?!”_ I half laughed, half yelled. “I thought you guys weren't gonna kill me.”

“You'll be fine, here, drink some more of this,” Deacon chuckled, pouring me another full glass of wine and handing it to me. I did as he said, sipping at it slowly. I didn't care what was in it anymore, anything to get rid of the taste. Vlad was watching me eagerly, Viago a little less so, but all of them seemed to be waiting for the dangerous concoction to make its way into my blood stream and to my brain. I didn't notice it happening, but suddenly I was dizzy and laughing for no reason.

“You guys are such bad influences,” I slurred, giggling away happily. “Getting me drunk, killing people, you're not being very good elders. You're supposed to set an example for those younger than you.”

Vlad let out a hearty laugh. “What I said about her being a liability? I take it back, she can stay.”

“Aww, thanks man,” I grinned. “You know, you're all pretty cool guys for being vampires. Are all vamps as nice as you?”

“Some of us, although others are arseholes,” Deacon sneered, although clearly amused by my state.

“I think I'd make a pretty cool vampire,” I said, my head floating. “I dissect things almost every week at the lab, so at least I wouldn't – what was it you said? - hit the main artery? Yeah, that was it. I wouldn't do that.”

Viago looked embarrassed and the others simply laughed. “I'm sure Deacon would be willing to turn you any time at all,” Vlad grinned, although I couldn't tell if he was being sarcastic or not.

“At least wait till I've finished my degree, I don't think I would manage to go to uni if the sunlight set me on fire.” I couldn't tell if _I_ was being serious or not.

“You want some more?” he said, motioning to the flask.

My brain was screaming, begging me to say no. But I said yes because I'm an idiot, took another swig (burning ensued as did more wine) and blacked out ten minutes later.

 


	3. The Only Monster In This House Is My Hangover

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Note to self; never accept any drinks from Vlad

When I woke up everything hurt.

I'd had my fair share of hangovers – I was a uni student after all – but nothing compared to what I experienced when my eyes cracked open. Every moment shot pain through my head and to my stomach, and I feebly cried out for someone. I didn't think they'd even be up, I presumed it was still morning, but Viago quietly popped his head into my room with a glass of water and a box in his hands.

“You're awake,” he said softly, coming into the room. “How's your head?”

My reply was only a whimper. He set the box and glass down on the bedside table, and I managed to pick up the water and sip at it. It helped with the god awful taste in my mouth, but my head still ached.

“What time is it?” I croaked. “Shouldn't you be asleep?”

“Anna, it's seven o'clock at night.”

“I slept for almost an entire day? Jesus Christ I'm going to slap Vlad when I see him, I feel like shit,” I scowled, and I could hear laugher from outside the hallway. “I feel like I'm going to be hungover for the next week.”

“You'll be okay after today, although I'd advise staying in bed,” Viago said.

“Aw man I was gonna take a look at the lecture prep today,” I groaned. “He was gonna email them out today.”

“One day of rest won't do you any harm,” Vlad said, appearing through my doorway, with a wicked grin on his face.

“As soon as I'm able to move without any crippling pain you're a dead man,” I glared, although there was no true malice in my intentions.

“Already am,” he chuckled, leaving once more. I rolled my eyes but was truly enjoying the fact that I was officially safe from all the vampires in the house, presuming Petyr had been told. It was nice to know that they were all getting used to me having them around and vice versa.

Viago opened the box and popped out two small pills. “Sorry, I hope you don't mind, but I found these in your handbag,” he said, holding out the paracetamol. “I guessed they were pain killers.”

“No worries, thanks man,” I smiled, taking both from his hands and swallowing them with a gulp of water. I lay back down on the bed and let out another groan. “What kind of a vampire feeds a human absinthe if they're _not_ trying to kill her?”

“Vlad's a old guy, you'll get used to his ways,” Viago shrugged, putting the box back down on the bedside table. “I'd advise you stay out of his torture chamber though.”

“Why am I not surprised that he has one of those,” I sighed, laughing slightly. “Man, what have I gotten myself into. Living with vampires, seeing one of said vampires kill my ex, getting hungover for a full day. It's only been three days.”

“It's not usually as exciting as that, don't worry,” he smiled, heading for the door. “Anything else you need?”

“Um, this is gonna sound really weird, but do you have any music or anything? I really helps me to sleep.”

“I could play something for you if you want?”

“Oh, no, I don't want to be a hassle, I'll be fine without.”

“No, no, it's no trouble, I'll be right back.”

Viago hurried out of the room with a small smile on his face, and reappeared moments later with what looked like an old mandolin. He gently sat at the foot of my bed and began playing, softly strumming the strings to produce a pleasant melody. I smiled at his kindness and let my eyes close, the soft music filling the room with a peaceful atmosphere. I don't know how long it took me to drift off, but Viago never stopped playing until I was asleep. I didn't hear him get up, but the tune he played stayed with me until I woke up once more, feeling significantly more alive than before. I managed to get out of bed without the room spinning, and glancing at the clock I saw that it was just past eight in the morning.

My bare feet hit the cold wooden floor with soft pats as I wandered towards the kitchen. On the table there sat a note, with my name written on the front in elaborate cursive ink.

_Anna,_

_We all hope you are feeling better. If you've woken up and we're still_  
_in bed then this note is just to tell you that we've got some victims_  
 _being brought over tonight, around eight pm. You can stay or you can_  
 _go out, up to you, but I just thought we'd warn you as we know murder_  
 _is generally frowned upon by humans._

_We'll respect your decision no matter what._

_Yours sincerely,_

_Viago._

“That man is such a sweetheart, in his odd little way,” I mused to myself, reading the letter over. Honestly, I'd rather not be there to see them feed, but most of my friends were still out of town and after the night I'd just had I didn't think that going out drinking was a very good idea. “I'll just hide away in my room, it'll be fine.”

Fixing myself a sandwich and precariously eating it – in fear of it coming back up – I found my laptop and was determined to read over some of the prep work. However, I had failed to think of the fatal flaw that staying with vampire would bring; a lack of modern technology. One such thing was the internet, and I let out a loud groan as my laptop found no wifi to connect to.

“It's like living with pensioners,” I sighed, resorting to my phones 3G in order to download the pfd of info my lecturer had sent out. I managed to get the file onto my laptop via a USB cable connecting the two devices, but made a mental note to ask the guys about getting some internet in the house.

I picked the comfiest seat in the house and got to work, my eyes scanning over the lines of text that were detailing a first lab day we were to have – a dissection of mouse nerves, tricky and very delicate business – as well as the background notes to the stuff we'd be going over in the first and second lecture. It was rather dull for the morning, but it had to be done, and I still had a few things left to unpack that I wanted to do later.

It was awfully odd having such a quiet house during the day, especially after being a uni student for three years and having to deal with loud arguments and even louder parties. It was almost unsettling, and so I connected my small Bluetooth speaker to my phone and let my Libertines playlist play quietly throughout the house. Radio America came on and I started swaying, and then all hope of work was gone when Fame and Fortune played next and I was up and singing. I grabbed my devices and hauled them all through to my room, dancing and humming along to the music as I got to work unpacking the last few things still in boxes.

The rest of my day didn't consist of much, just more music and daft dancing on my part. When it hit six I could hear the faint beeping of an alarm clock, and sure enough a few minutes later Viago emerged from his room.

“Oh, good morning,” he smiled, and I replied with the same. “How are you feeling?”

“Much better, thanks. Got some work done today and the last of my things are unpacked.”

“Good, very good,” he nodded. “Did you get my note?”

“Hmm? Oh, yeah, don't worry about it, I'll just stay in my room since I haven't really got anywhere else to go for the night,” I assured him. “It's fine, I understand that you guys gotta survive just like I do. It's not your fault you're only food source is blood.”

Viago gave me a soft, small, but sincere smile. I think I was the first human to ever say something like that to him.

“Thank you, Anna. Jackie is bringing them round so you'll get to meet her.”

“Jackie?”

“Deacon's, eh, helper,” he explained.

“What, so she's like his servant?”

“In a way, yes.”

“And she's human?”

“Yes, for now. That's part of their deal, she works for him and eventually he'll turn her into a vampire. Although I don't know if he really will.”

“Oo, cool, I'll have another human to talk to,” I smiled. “Who's she bringing round?”

“No idea,” he shrugged. “That's the exciting bit.”

I frowned slightly, before telling myself not to be too judgemental. It was just their way of life, they couldn't help it.

“Well, gimme a shout when Jackie arrives, it'll be interesting to talk to her. Although I'd appreciate it if that was before you killed them.”

“No problem. You want to go wake the others? I need to get things ready for tonight, lots of towels to put down and all.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure that's a good idea? A _human_ to wake up _vampires?_ ” I questioned. “I'm bad enough in the morning, I can't imagine what an immortal is like.”

“It's fine, we've all agreed not to eat you,” he smiled, before walking off. I let out a small sigh before making my way up the stairs, and knocking on the door that I knew was Deacon's.

“Deacon, time to get up,” I said quietly before opening the door. He was floating there, upside down, eyes screwed shut and teeth bared as he hissed at me. “Jesus, you really aren't a morning person.”

My laughter snapped him out of it. “Anna? What are you doing? What time is it?”

“Viago asked me to wake you up, its just gone six,” I chuckled as he floated himself upright and set his feet on the grounds. “Do you really sleep like that?”

“It happens to be very comfy,” he said in defence, stretching a little. “Uh, you do know that we're having guests over tonight?”

“Yeah, Viago left me a note. I'll just hideaway in my room, so don't worry about me getting in the way.”

“No, it wasn't that, I was just unsure if you'd be okay with it,” he explained.

“I've already had this conversation with Viago, don't worry,” I shrugged. “You guys gotta eat.”

I left him in his cupboard, trying to remember which room was Vlad's. I knocked on a few until I heard hissing, and figured I'd found the right one.

“Oi, Mr lets-give-absinthe-to-Anna, time to get up,” I called, as the door opened. He stood there, looking very grumpy and intimidating, but he gave a small grin when he saw me.

“I see you've made a full recovery.”

“Yes I have, thank you very much,” I pouted with false annoyance. “Come on, Viago says to get up, you've got dinner being delivered tonight.”

“Oh, yes, that should be fun. You should stay and watch, we use the same trick we pulled on you. It's very funny.”

“The one with the spaghetti?”

“Yes, you should see their faces.”

“Maybe. I think I'm gonna stay away for most of it, probably with my headphones in. I don't know how I'd react if I heard a dying scream.”

“Suit yourself,” he shrugged, closing the door. I shook my head a little in bemusement and returned downstairs to find Deacon and Viago chatting.

“What's up guys?” I said, concerned by their tone. “Everything okay?”

“Yeah, we're just wondering if it's a good thing for you to meet Jackie,” Deacon said. “She might think you're trying to jump ahead of her place.”

“Look, I'll let her know I have no interest in becoming a vampire,” I said, hoping that I was telling the truth. “It'll be fine, you lot just concentrating on not getting blood everywhere.”

They turned to each other and shrugged, seemingly satisfied by my reply. “I'm gonna go grab a shower and then get dressed so I don't look like the 5th vampire to your posse when Jackie arrives,” I said, padding off to my room. The bathroom was still a mess and desperately needed a clean, but I withstood it for the sake of non-greasy hair and emerged from the shower feeling refreshed. My choice of attire for the night was simple, just a nice patterned crop-top and some high waisted jeans, and I heard a knock at the door just as I was away to start blow-drying my hair. When I reached the lobby I saw Deacon there, dressed his usual leather trousers and a cape, welcoming in three people.

“Deacon, hi,” A woman said, walking in, and she was followed by two men. I took a guess that the woman was Jackie, and smiled at her when our eyes met.

“Hi, I'm Anna,” I said with a wave. “Jackie, right?”

“Uh, yes. Who- who are you exactly?” he asked, rather confused.

“I'm their new flatmate,” I said, motioning towards Deacon. “Don't worry, I'm human, and I know about the whole vampire thing. There's no deal like with you and Deacon, I'm just their human flatmate who's trying to get through her last year of uni.”

“Oh, okay,” Jackie nodded, a little less perplexed. “So you're living with them? Permanently?"

“At least until I graduate.”

“And you know why I brought people over tonight, right?”

“Yeah, don't worry, I've been briefed. I'll stay in my room most of the night, just thought I'd come say hi to you while you were in,” I shrugged. “It's nice to have another human I can complain to about this lot.”

Jackie flashed me a smile, and I think she was a little relieved. “Well, it's nice to meet you Anna. Oh, are we going through?” she asked, turning to Deacon. “I'd better go, they'll get suspicious if I'm not there.”

“Anna, why don't you come too?” Deacon said, speaking to me quietly. “It makes the humans less anxious if there's more of them there.”

“I'd rather not,” I said with a shake of my head. “I just wanna stay in my room while all that's going on.”

“Suit yourself, I'll come get you when it's all clear,” he accepted, walking off after his guests. I swiftly retreated to my room, shutting the door and sitting myself down at the desk. I knew I should have worked more on my uni notes, but knowing what was going on seemed to disrupt my productivity. Instead I settled for watching some of my dvds, sat in my computer chair with the duvet wrapped around me. I was mid-way through Pacific Rim when loud banging at my door nearly made me jump.

The banging continued for a few more seconds before the door was flung open, a scared and burly man standing in the doorway. He saw me and darted inside, slamming the door behind him.

“You gotta help me get outta here man, these guys are crazy!” he pleaded. I sat there in shock, unsure of what to do. Did I spare his life but deny the vampires their only source of food? Could I go behind their back like that after telling them I accepted their way of life? I stood up to try and stall him, but just as I did there was more banging on the door, followed by hissing. The man rushed for the window, and as I tried to stop him, got tangled in my duvet and went tumbling to the floor. Without my arms free I was unable to brace my fall, and the side of me head hit clean against the edge of the desk. Pain shot through me, and when I got my hands free and felt the injury they came away bloody.

The door was thrown open and in ran all three of them, grabbing at the man. He bolted out again and two followed, but Deacon stood there looking at me. His eyes were all black, and I knew he could smell the blood. He slowly leaned down to where I lay on the floor, and I'm pretty sure he could sense my heart rate go through the roof. I liked Deacon, trusted him even, but he was the youngest of all four living in the house. With less experience, I had no idea if he could control himself. I prayed he could.

He griped onto my arm and hoisted me up, the room spinning in my vision as he did. We stood at the same height, I being slightly taller, and his expression looked wild. His eyes terrified me, and his grip on my arm tightened.

“Deacon, I'm okay, you'd better go,” I said to him, trying to stay calm. He blinked a few times and raised his hand to my head.

“You're bleeding,” he muttered, looking at his hand as he took it away

“I'm fine, now go get that guy before the other two hog him.”

“But you're hurt,” he said, voice a little more certain now. He blinked some more, and his eyes returned to normal. “I need to get some bandages for that.”

“I'm fine, really,” I explained, but he refused. He sat me down on the bed and vanished, appearing again moments later with a extremely dusty first aid kit. There was brown bottles in there that I would bet were older than me, but the bandages looked fairly in tact as he wrapped them around my head.

“I need to take you to the hospital,” he announced.

“What? No, Deacon, don't worry about me,” I pleaded.

“I'm not arguing with you, and I am taking you to the hospital. It's only a ten minute bus ride from here.”

I gave up trying in the end. He helped me walk to the bus stop, paid my fare, and kept talking to me and keeping me concious. When we reached the hospital my head was swimming and it was difficult to keep one thing in focus for more than five seconds, so in retrospective it was probably a good thing Deacon persisted. He told me after that I was slurring my words at the reception, but I don't remember any of it.

Deacon told the story of how he took me to the hospital and collected me once the doctors were done, but I knew he stayed with me, I could just tell. I could see it in my head, him standing there protectively, wearing his leather trousers and cape. The doctors must have been fairly puzzled, but Deacon got me home safe and that's what was important.

I remember coming home, as at that point the painkillers I'd been given had taken effect. It must have been late, because Viago said something about being worried for hours, and although Vlad was less verbal about his fretting I could tell he'd been as equally tense. They sat me down, Viago even made me tea, and I felt horrible for having ruined their night.

“I'm so sorry, I caused a mess and made Deacon miss out on his meal and made you two fret the whole time,” I rambled, still a little hazy. “I've ruined the whole evening.”

“No, don't say that,” Vlad said. “You stopped that man from escaping out your window, so you actually helped us.”

“Yes, but I injured myself in the process.”

“No, _he_ injured you,” Viago snarled, taking me a little off guard. “Don't worry, we got him back for you.”

“You guys are all far too defensive for only having known me a few days.”

“What can we say, we like you,” Viago shrugged.

“Yeah, you're like a cool vampire who's actually a human,” Vlad nodded.

“Plus you pay rent,” Deacon chuckled, and I let out a light giggle.

“You just like me cause I made out with you that one time,” I joked at him.

“What? I'm far too much of a gentlemen for that.”

“The first night I was here you tried to sleep with me.”

Deacon paused and then shrugged. “You've got me there.”

We all let out laughter, enjoying it after the tense evening we'd all had. “You know, I'm really glad I saw that add in the paper,” I smiled. “Honestly, you guys are all great and quirky in your own ways. It's nice to know that I've got supernatural beings looking out for me.”

“We couldn't ask for a better flatmate, even if they were a vampire,” Deacon grinned, and I mustered up all my strength to hoist myself up and hug him. Two other sets of arms joined in, and I laughed at the moment of realisation that I was in the middle of a vampire group hug.

“If I ever wanna live forever, you guy's will be my first call,” I muttered with a laugh into Deacons shoulder.

“And we promise not to serve you biz-getti ever again,” Viago added.

 


	4. More Supernatural Morons

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anna meets Anton and his pack, and Deacon's heart seems to still be alive and kicking

The next two weeks passed without much drama. We went into town together a few times, and I tried to meet up with friends, yet they all seemed to distance themselves from me. I'd noticed it during the last few weeks of the previous term, but it hadn't crossed my mind very often while staying with family during the summer.

Uni started back up again, and although the morning routine was hard work, by the time the first week was up I was settling back into it nicely. I didn't see as much of the guys as I'd have liked to, just because of early nights needed for early lectures, but I still grew more fond of them daily. When I complained one night of the mornings getting colder Deacon had taken it upon himself to start knitting me a scarf, and Vlad became almost like the big brother who you liked to punch. Of course, his punches hit harder than mine, but he went easy on me. I even managed to pin him one evening after he told me he'd never liked rum as a human.

I met Petyr a few times, all of them brief, and the initial shock of his appearance wore off eventually. He'd hissed at me furiously the first time we'd encountered, but now we communicated in small nods. I didn't see much of him though, as he seemed to be a bit of a recluse. After living for 8000 years, I could understand that.

Viago educated me on the ways of the vampire world. The group they were in, the ball held every few years, the rules of interacting with other vampires. It was a lot to take in, but I found it extremely interesting to learn how their world coexisted with my own.

“I don't want you to get any weird ideas with me asking this, it's for curiosities sake only,” I'd said to him one night as we chatted in his study. “But what's the general opinion of human and vampire relationships? Both platonic and romantic?”

He'd raised an eyebrow at that one, but answered nonetheless. “Well, some humans have deals with vampires, like Jackie does with Deacon, but that's more of a master-servant thing. Generally we're warned not to befriend humans, simply because of the dangers. Who knows what they could let slip, or what harm they could bring to us.”

“I suppose the life span doesn't help either.”

“No. It is never nice to see the ones you care for wither away and die while you don't age a day,” he'd nodded solemnly. “Which is why a romantic relationship between a human and a vampire almost never ends well. It always ends up in someone getting hurt.”

I hadn't brought the subject up again, as he'd looked like he was momentarily stuck in the past.

I saw Jackie quite a lot. It seemed to be that Deacon would set her to clean up after their mess, something I found rather rude and scolded him for, so if I wasn't busy I'd give her a hand. It meant the job got done quicker, and we could catch up and chat over a cup of tea. She told me about how she'd originally met Deacon – she'd almost been a victim of his – and how she was hoping to get bitten soon. I promised her I'd sway his decision, and she'd hugged me tightly.

I finally got wifi installed in the house, after convincing the guys that I would have it done during the day and I'd keep the technician in the dark. It worked, and I revelled in the glory of internet for two days solid. It was nice to finally have connection to the rest of the world, and I assured my family that all was fine. I left out the bit about living with vampires, of course.

I started to fully adjust to the whole vampire thing, and what that meant for me. It meant I couldn't bring any humans round at night, or at least not without warning the guys. That put the whole idea of dating kinda out the window, as it'd be too much of a hassle to explain why my flat mates only came out after 6 oclock at night. I didn't mind too much, nobody had really caught my eye anyway.

Nothing exciting happened until we were out on the saturday night, Vlad looking for some food and the rest of us just there for the hell of it. It was late, about twelve or one, and we were heading home when Deacon stopped and sniffed.

“Werewolves,” he muttered, walking ahead.

“What? Are they real too?” I asked.

“Yes, and they stink,” Vlad answered, following after Deacon. Viago and I followed suit, eventually arriving before a group of about six or seven men.

“Evening fellas,” one of them said, sounding rather uneasy.

“You guys having fun smelling each others arses?” Deacon laughed, and I sighed.

“Look, we've told you before, its a greeting,” another said, but the man from before silenced him.

“Why don't you's just head off, or you'll get our heckles up.”

I laughed when he said that.

“What, you think something's funny, do ya? Who are you anyway?” he said, and Viago stepped aside so the man could see me. He frowned, but then sniffed. “Wait, you're not a vampire.”

“And you're a werewolf,” I grinned, excited by the new discovery. “So are you guys able to control when you transform or what?”

He looked very confused, obviously unsure about why a human, who he presumed the vampires were going to kill, was being so calm about the whole thing. “Is she drunk? I can smell booze on her.”

“Don't worry mate, I know they're vampires,” I shrugged. “I'm their human, totally off limits to kill, flatmate.” That made him frown even more.

“Those guys are dangerous, you shouldn't be living with them,” he warned. “They'll bite you in the middle of the night and either kill you or turn you into one of them.”

“Shut it, flee bag,” Vlad snarled. “Unlike you lot we have standards. We'd never do that to Anna, she's cool.”

“See, they love me,” I laughed. He still looked unsure.

“Well don't say I didn't warn you,” he sighed, before turning to what I guess was his pack. “Come on guys, lets get out of here.”

“Wait!” I called after them. “Can we not talk a bit?”

True to what the man had stated, I'd been drinking. Nothing too heavy, just enough to get me really inquisitive about the new discovery. The fact that another layer of this secret word had just been shown to me only increased my curiosity.

The man shrugged and nodded, but Viago held me back.

“Anna, no, they're dangerous,” he warned.

“That's exactly what they said about you lot,” I said. “I'll be fine, I'm just curious. I won't be home later than three, I promise.”

“Let her go Viago, Anna can handle herself,” Vlad said, but Deacon was equally unsure.

“Yeah, Anna can handle herself,” I nodded, and prised my arm away from him. I followed after the pack of wolves, leaving the three vampire standing there, watching me go. I felt a pang of guilt, but they had to learn that I wasn't helpless.

“So, you're called Anna?” the man said, and I nodded. “The names Anton.”

“Hi there Anton. So tell me, what's it like being a werewolf?”

We chatted for a while, at first just Anton and I, but soon the rest started joining in and it ended up in a seven person conversation about how cool Star Wars was.

“I mean, the prequels were kinda shite, but they're still Star Wars films,” I laughed, as we approached a large, empty park. My phone told me it was two, and the next bus was in half an hour, so I suggested the idea that we just stop walking and sit. They all agreed, and soon the questions turned to me.

“So how'd someone like you end up flatting with three vampires?” Anton asked.

“Four, actually. And I just saw their add in the paper, never suspected a thing until I had actually moved in and Viago started talking about not hitting the main artery,” I shrugged. “I love it though, they're such great guys.”

“Really? Do you not feel unsafe living with four creatures who hunger for human blood?”

“Nah, not really. It only took me a few days to get used to them, and they're actually pretty protective of me, as you saw,” I explained with a shake of my head. “They're the sweetest guys, really, especially Viago.”

“I still can't understand why you're still living there,” he frowned.

“Cause they're good people. It's not their fault that they have to drink human blood, you know, just like it's not your fault that you guys transform on a full moon. They're no more in control of it than you are.”

They were all quiet for a few moments. “You know, you're pretty cool, for living with vampires,” one of the guys said. “You should hang out with us more often.”

“Yeah? I'd love to, I can kick _all_ your asses at Halo,” I grinned.

“Try me,” another challenged, causing more laughter.

“But seriously, feel free to come to us if you ever need out of there, or need anything in general,” Anton smiled. “Do you want my number?”

“Yeah, gimme your phone.” He handed it to me with a new contact slot on the screen, and I typed in my number. He proceeded to shoot me a text, giving me his. “Cheers man. You guys are pretty cool too, with the whole werewolf thing.”

“It has it's hassles, but it could be worse.”

“I can imagine. I'd better get going though, before they come after me in a vengeful rampage,” I explained, standing up.

“You want us to walk you home?”

“Nah it's fine, I'm getting the bus.”

“We'll walk you to the bus stop then. Gotta make sure you're okay,” Anton said, making me chuckle.

“You're as bad as Viago,” I smiled, leading the way towards the illuminated bus shelter on the other side of the park. It was nice to have a group of overprotective guard dogs following you around.

They all waved me off as the bus pulled away, the driver looking a little perplexed. When I arrived home all three of the vampires were sitting there, waiting for me. Deacon was frowning.

“Are you okay?” he said as soon as I walked in.

“Yeah, of course, they weren't going to hurt me,” I said.

“Oh man, you stink,” Vlad said, giving me a sniff. “You need a shower. Or three.”

“Are you sure they didn't bite you or anything, or claw you? Viago added, looking worried.

“Yes, guys, I'm fine. Honestly, I don't understand the problem between you lot,” I said sternly. “You're both supernatural beings just trying to fit into a world that's constantly changing. They're just as compassionate and as kind as you guys are.”

“But they're werewolves; they're flee-ridden savages,” Deacon snarled.

“Well right now you're acting more like a savage than they are,” I yelled, raising my voice.

“Well then maybe you should go share a flat with them!”

“I can't do that!”

“Why not? Afraid you'll have to clean up their shit from around the house?”

“Because you guys are about the only thing keeping me happy right now! My friends have all left my life and you lot are the only real friends I have right now. And you're fucking vampires! My whole life is insane!”

My outburst caused a tense silence, and I forcefully held back the tears. I was intoxicated and emotional, and right now I just wanted everyone to be happy.

“I didn't know that,” Deacon admitted quietly, not quite sounding guilty but certainly sounding apologetic. “I was just worried for you.”

“Well you didn't need to be,” I said with a shaky sigh. “Look, I appreciate that you all care for me so much, it's really nice, but you've got to understand that those guys aren't dangerous. They're just people, like you.”

“Anna, I-” Viago started, but I wasn't finished yet.

“And you guys are literally the only thing keeping me sane right now, especially with uni getting so stressful. I don't want arguments and upsets to get in the way of how much I genuinely love you guys.”

“Would you like a hug?”

“That'd be nice, yeah.”

I was crying into Viago's frills as he softly patted me on the back. I felt weak, I felt childish, but I also felt comforted. I heard Deacon telling Vlad to go make me a cup of tea, and couldn't help but let out a sob at how much those people were taking care of me.

“This is why you shouldn't take in humans, we just cry a lot,” I mumbled, and Viago chuckled softly as he continued to hug me.

“I'd much rather have you as a flatmate than another vampire. You cause less mess,” he replied.

“You're going to make me cry more,” I sniffled.

There was a tap on my shoulder and I turned to see Vlad standing there with a large, toothy gin, holding out a cup of tea. I sniffed some more and thanked him.

Viago led me through to the living room where I sat, curled up between him and Deacon, sipping at my tea. It was quiet but comfortable, my head resting on Deacon's shoulder. It got to the point where Viago and Vlad had both left the room, and I could feel myself falling asleep.

“Do you want to go to bed?” the remaining vampire asked, looking down at me.

“Not really.”

“I can tell you're tired.”

“But I like it here, with you,” I shrugged. “It's nice.”

He rolled his eyes with a soft smile, and placed a cushion across his lap. “Here, lie down, it'll be comfier.”

I lay myself across the sofa, resting the back of my head down so that I was looking up at him. He didn't pay me much attention till he realised I was staring.

“What is it?” he asked.

“I don't know, you just look very nice from this angle.”

“I look nice from every angle.”

“I can't deny that.”

I was smiling up at him when I saw the look in his eyes change. We kept each others gaze for prolonged seconds, and when he leant down towards my face I lifted my own up so that our lips met.

This kiss was much softer, much more tender than the one we'd shared before. They was no drunken libido this time, this was just us. It felt much more truthful. All the pessimistic thoughts that ran through my head – _he's a vampire, it'll never work. He'd have to watch you die, it'd hurt him too much –_ were shut out by the overwhelming feeling of joy that I was feeling. All those things could be dealt with later, in that moment I just wanted to hold him close. My hands were on either side of his face, cupping it gently as I heard him let out a breath of relief. My heart fluttering, we pulled away and looked at each other.

“Do you want to try this?” I asked him quietly.

“Yes. It might get tricky at times, but I think it'll be worth it.”

“I think that's the cutest thing I've heard you say.”

“I think you're the cutest thing I've ever seen.”

I let out a snort at that. “Wow, you're just _so smooth_.”

“I was trying to be sweet,” he said with a pout.

“You are sweet, don't worry about it,” I chuckled, placing another quick kiss to his lips. I rested my head back down on the cushion, smiling to myself as I felt my heavy eyelids close. Just as I was starting to doze off I noticed him playing with my hair, but I didn't mind. It helped to send me off into slumber.

 


	5. A Date, I Guess

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Deacon and Anna break the news to the others, and the pair go on a nightime wander.

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Viago asked, frowning at Deacon.

“Look, we're not going to do anything we might regret. So no turning me into a vampire, no half human babies, nothing like that,” I told him calmly. “We're just gonna, you know, see how it goes.”

“Deacon, you know the problems this usually brings. As well as what the rest of Wellington will think about it,” Vlad sighed. I think they both wanted to be happy for us, but their fears took top priority.

“Yes, and so does she,” he nodded, looking a little agitated. “Viago, you of all people should understand that Anna being human shouldn't mean anything if we're both happy.”

He seemed to have stuck something with that, and Viago's features became rather sombre.

“You do realise this could threaten her safety as well?” Vlad continued. “Once people hear that you're dating a human, they'll know exactly where to find their next meal. We're fickle creatures sometimes, and someone might hurt her just to spite you.”

“It's okay, we've talked about this,” I reassured him. “It's unlikely anyone would attack the house, knowing that four vampires live here, and I'm only really outside on my own during daytime hours anyway. It'll be fine, honestly.”

They didn't look satisfied, but they had the common sense to put the subject to bed. “If you're sure, then we're happy for you,” Viago sighed.

“Thank you,” I said, feeling relieved. It'd been three nights since the kiss, and we'd talked things over properly to make sure that it was what we both wanted. We needed to know we were certain before telling the others, and we'd made up our mind. No worrying about five or ten years down the line, just taking it one day at a time. “You guys wanna go out tonight?”

“Nah, I'm full,” Vlad said with a comical pat of his stomach.

“You can come into town for reasons other than victims, you know,” I said with a laugh.

“But I don't want to get greedy, do I,” he grinned. “Why don't you and Deacon go have a night together, go get drunk and celebrate.”

I turned to look at Deacon. “What you think, champ?”

“Sure, why not,” he said with a shrug, trying to hide his smile. “I'm not carrying you home though, so make sure you can still stay upright.”

“Oh, looks like I've bagged myself _such_ a gentleman.”

“I did try and sleep with you the first night you were here, you knew what you were getting into.”

I let out a peal of laughter. “I'll be sure not to wear heels, be ready in an hour,” I said joyously, pressing a quick kiss to his cheek and leaving the room. I heard murmurs from behind me, but knew they were just that of concerned friends. I was simply going to enjoy life, no matter where it took me.

\---***---

“Okay, I know I said no heels, but come on, my ass looks _great_ in these.”

Deacon let out a laugh, nodding his head slightly. “I'll agree with that. Still not carrying you home though.”

“I ain't no lightweight, I'll have you know,” I grinned, slipping on my leather jacket over the purple dress I'd chosen for the night, the one with the halter neck and the cute pockets. It was comfy and made my butt look great, everything I looked for in a dress.

“You do look very nice,” he smiled, walking up to me.

“Well, I do like to look nice for a date,” I replied with a wink, slipping my small handbag onto my shoulder. “Now, what's the plan of action for tonight? We going to a wine bar to be fancy or a pub to get smashed?”

He replied with a shrug. “Lets just have a wander, see what we find?”

“Sounds like a plan,” I smiled, taking his hand and heading towards the door as I called out to the others. “We're away guys, don't wait up.”

“Have fun, be safe, use protection,” Vlad called in reply. I could hear his hearty chuckle follow his comment, and we walked out the house both rolling our eyes.

Town was reasonably busy for a Friday night, but it provided a nice opportunity for the two of us to get lost in the crowd and not be noticed. With no destination in mind we simply wandered the streets of Wellington, two lovers seeking excitement in the light of the moon and the streetlamps. There was this busker we passed by, a scrawny looking fellow with a violin, smiling all through his songs. His voice was rough, but his words mixed with his music in a way that made me wrap my arms tightly around Deacon's and smile. Part of me wanted to dance, but I knew that attention was never something wanted by a vampire, so I didn't suggest it.

We wandered for a bit more, gazing into the windows of closed shops and laughing at the horrendous fashion choice of the mannequins. There was a shop open late, with a door clerk that conveniently invited us in to do some late night shopping, and we spent and hour in the huge, almost empty store, picking up items of clothing and posing around in them. Our laughter was loud and obnoxious, but we didn't care, we just enjoyed. I snapped a picture of him on my phone, wearing a string of fake pearls and a headband with large pink cat ears. He was scowling, but I could tell he was loving it really.

We managed to get into a few bars, via my persuasive skills with the bouncers (the “you're going to do what I've asked or else” glare works wonders), but we didn't stay long in any of them. Deacon didn't drink of course, but he took great amusement in watching my common sense go from 'I'll just have a few beers' to 'I'm on my third vodka and coke, but a fourth one wont do any harm'. He was gazing at me intently as we sat in our fourth bar of the night, as we sat at our table and I sipped my drink through a straw.

“What?” I asked him softly.

“You can tell you're getting drunk cause your ears go red,” he grinned.

“You can tell I'm getting drunk by the amount of alcohol I've bought.”

“That too. It's nice though, gives you a bit of a glow.”

“An alcoholics shine, just what I want to achieve in life,” I said with a laugh that was probably too loud. My brain was flying from one subject to another with all the vodka, and I suddenly chose a very different topic. “Deacon, why did you choose to try this? Dating a human, I mean.”

He paused a moment surprised by the sudden change, and took a minute to collect his words. “It's not just dating a human, it's dating _you,_ that's why I decided to try,” he said quietly, with a look of deep sincerity that I hadn't really seen in him before. “You just appeared in our life one day, falling into a house full of vampires, and you stayed. We got you drunk, and you stayed. We killed people, and you stayed. You got hurt, and yet still you're determined to still live with us.”

“None of that was your fault, not really,” I told him, shaking my head in a hope that he didn't feel guilty. “You guys can't help the way you live.”

“That, that's exactly it. You're the first human I've ever met who's been so utterly and instantly accepting to us, not just me. You don't treat us like monsters, but you don't treat us with pity either. You just treat us like real people.”

“Deacon, that's cause you are real people.”

“But not everyone sees that. Before I came here, met Viago and Vlad, both Petyr and I were hunted all over the place, nearly got killed a few times,” he admitted with a sigh. My hand went to clasp his own, giving it a soft squeeze. “Everywhere I've turned, humans have always been there to run us out, to lust after our death. But then you came along, stumbling into the vampires den by sheer bad luck.”

“I'd rather call it good luck.”

“You stayed, no matter what we did or how we acted. That's why I decided to try, because you're the first human I've ever met who seems to understand what it's like to be a vampire.”

My eyes were watering by this point. It wasn't often I saw Deacon get serious, let alone personal, but him opening up to me like that meant so much as a sign of trust that I couldn't help getting emotional. “Deacon, I never saw you as anything else but a real person,” I whispered softly, shuffling round in the booth to sit next to him. My arms went around him in a hug, and he placed a kiss to the top of my head.

“You're a miracle,” I heard him mutter, and I smiled in return.

“Come on, lets get out of here, the world is out there and tonight it's ours for the taking,” I grinned, reaching for my glass and chugging the rest of the drink. “You and me baby, lets go rule the streets.”

He was laughing as I dragged him out of the club and into the night air, my laughter ringing through the still busy town. It was just after twelve but the night was still ripe for the taking, and as we wandered through more backalleys and odd pathways we both knew that we wanted to stay like that forever. Running around in the night, discovering the town that we both through we knew so well, free to do what we wanted. With the day came caution, but with the night came freedom.

It was two by the time we'd settled down on a lone picnic table, one that sat on its own in the centre of a huge, previously unknown park. We lay on top of it, looking at the crisp sky and trying to make up constellations in the stars.

“I bet that one there's called 'fangus-starus', it looks like a pair of fangs,” I giggled, pointing to the ones I was talking about.

“That sounds like a disease,” Deacon snorted, and I slapped him playfully on the chest.

“I happen to think it's a very fitting name for a constellation, thank you very much,” I said with a pout.

“Boy can you tell that you've been drinking.”

“What are you talking about, I'm this idiotic while I'm sober.”

We were both laughing, ugly snorts and loud cackles that we let out for the world to hear. We were more than happy to let out happiness be known, and as our lips melted on the cold wood we lay upon under the stars, neither of us could care what the world would think.

Returning to the house was quite the journey, although no less enjoyable. My phone told me we were quite far away, and even though Deacon insisted he could fly and carry me at the same time, I'd rather walk than be held god knows how high up in the air. It took us a solid hour to get home, and by twenty minutes in my heels had been off for good. I was starting to get drowsy when we finally arrived, stepping into the warmth of the lobby, and my things once again got left in a pile by the door.

“You need your bed,” Deacon said as I opened my jaw wide to let out a yawn.

“You're probably right,” I agreed. “I'll see you tomorrow evening.”

I leaned forward and held a kiss against his lips for a few seconds before my arms went around him for one last hug.

“Night night,” I said, still wrapped around his waist.

“Goodnight Anna, sleep well,” he chuckled, pecking my cheek lightly as I walked off. I threw my dress off and got into an old tshirt and shorts, slipping into a bed I'd never known to be as comfy as it felt that night.

 


	6. Expected And Unexpected Complications

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anna breaks the news to the pack, and a stranger makes an unwelcome appearance.

Dating a vampire had it's problems, some more obvious than others. One night Deacon came home covered in blood, looking rather pleased with himself, and had sat down on the end of my bed. Those sheets had to get thrown out. Another time I stayed up with him, reluctant to go to bed, and ended up sleeping in and missing my nine o'clock lecture the next morning. Suffice to say my professor was not very happy.

Dating a vampire had it's perks, however. Like the thrill I'd get whenever Deacon would suddenly pick me up and move at such a speed that it felt like falling. Or the fact that I was learning more about a community that'd been hidden from me my whole life, and every new fact would make me more intrigued.

The sex as well. _Definitely_ the sex.

I don't know how to describe it, it was just so intense and a blur and always left the both of us out of breath. His grip felt solid, like he refused to let go of me, and it made me feel safe. The evening after our first time, both Viago and Vlad couldn't look at us for more than a few seconds without smirking. Apparently we'd been a bit loud.

Despite all the oddities that came with the relationship, life went on as normal – or as normal as it gets when you're living with vampires. Uni was the usual, with a weekly four hour lab session on Wednesdays always leaving me exhausted. The closer graduation got, the more stressful the workload would get, but I knew it would pay off in the long run.

I spent time with Anton and the pack if I had a day off, and I soon became close to pretty much all of them. Our usual spot was Brian's house, as his wife worked during the day and the basement was essentially a glorified man-den. But the beanbags were comfy, and the fridge was always stocked with beers, so it was perfect. I think a key feature of gaining their respect was the evening I managed to chug three beers faster than anyone else.

“So hows things going at home?” Anton asked as a few of us sat playing Mortal Kombat. “They treating you well and everything?”

“Yup, things are fine,” I nodded, finishing off my second beer of the day. “Viago's started teaching me to play the mandolin, although bless his heart for putting up with my slight tone-deaf tendencies. That, and they've all been rather gracious with the noise we've been making.”

“What, from playing the mandolin?”

I froze momentarily. It'd slipped my thoughts that I was yet to tell the guys about Deacon and I, as I feared what their reaction might be. They'd probably think I was insane. However, they were my friends, and any reaction they had would only be out of their worry for my safety. They deserved to know.

“Uh, Anton, could I talk to you quietly for a moment?” I asked, and although the others looked suspicious the alpha nodded his head. We retreated to the back of the room, out of earshot. “Look, there's something I've been meaning to talk to you about, and I just don't want you to freak out, okay?”

“They haven't tried to bite you, have they?” he asked hastily, looking to my neck. Luckily I'd covered up the hicky with make up before leaving the house.

“No, no, nothing like that,” I assured him. “Look, just understand that what I'm about to tell you is my own choice, my own decision, and I'm perfectly safe.”

Anton frowned, but nodded once more.

“I'm dating Deacon.”

“ _You're dating a vampire!_ ”

His shocked outburst was loud enough for the entire pack to stop talking and turn around in confusion. My face was in my hands.

“Anna, are you crazy?”

“Anton, please, you've got to understand that they'd never hurt me, especially Deacon,” I pleaded. “And we've talking about stuff, I'm not gonna become a vampire any time soon. No eternity-long commitments, we're just seeing how it goes. And it's going pretty damn well.”

“How do you know he's not using you? Just tricky you for when he's ready to kill?” Anton exclaimed, the protest evident in his voice.

“Because I've been used before, I know how it feels,” I explained. “This doesn't feel anything like that.”

“He's a vampire, you can't trust him.”

“If I can't trust them then why should I be able to trust you?”

The pack looked on, watching our tense exchange while too fearful to interrupt their alpha.

“Seriously Anton, you need to get over this stupid, petty rivalry between the two of you. You've both got to fight to keep your place in this world, hide yourselves away and try to be as normal as possible,” I yelled. “They're not going to hurt me. You're not going to hurt me. I understand that you both just want me to be safe, but I'm more likely to get felt up by a drunk guy in a bar than I am to get hurt by either of you.”

“Anna, we just-”

“No, Anton, there is no excuse for this stupid behaviour. It humbles me that you care so much about my safety, but you're going about it in the completely wrong way. You need to understand that I can take care of myself, and that I'm not in any danger.”

He stopped trying to talk. I had the feeling he wasn't used to being interrupted, but like a dog that's just been told off he looked down at his feet.

“I- I'm sorry,” he admitted quietly. “I should know better than now that you're more than capable of handling that lot.”

“Thank you, now get over here and let my hug you, ya big idiot.”

I was grinning as I managed to hug him around his torso and lift him up, much to the amusement of the pack. He was flailing slightly, and looked rather dishevelled once I'd put him down. “Now I'd better get home, the guys will be up by now promised me they'd help me clean the bathroom. God knows that place is horrible.”

“No hard feelings, yeah?” Anton said, a little worried.

“No hard feelings,” I agreed. “See you guys later. Steve, if you manage to beat me next time I'll buy you a bottle of really good whiskey.”

I got a cheer in reply as I left the house, walking along the street to the nearest bus stop. It was getting later in the year now, and so the nights came a little earlier and a little colder. I was grateful for the warmth of the bus during my fifteen minute journey, and I was soon within sight of the house. I was nearing the driveway as a hand reached out of nowhere and spun me around, brining me face to face with a very pale man, with a fanged grin.

My first reaction was to fight. My knee went to his groin as hard as I could manage, loosening his grip on me enough to escape. I made a break for the front door, knowing that if I got inside he couldn't follow, but something swept my legs from underneath me and I hit the ground hard. I was only a few meters from the house, and I'd be damned if I was going to get killed a hairs breadth from safety. He was leering over me, and I turned onto my back and kicked at his chest. It didn't have the same effect as it would on a human, but it still left him startled enough for me to get out and reaching the front steps. It seemed that Vlad had heard the scuffle, and he opened the door just in time for me to launch myself through the doorway, landing on the floor with the grace of a three legged dog.

“Stay away from her,” Vlad yelled, spotting the attacker. “If you don't you'll get your head ripped off.”

“It's against the code for a vampire to kill another vampire,” the stranger yelled, his accent seemingly American.

“I don't care, if you come near here again I'll break every damn rule in the book.” Vlad slammed the door shut and rushed to my side. “Anna, are you okay? What did he do to you?”

“I'm okay, just startled,” I said, my voice wavering in shock. My arm felt sore where he'd grabbed me, but it would probably only leave a bruise. “Do you know that guy?”

“I've never seen him before, might be new around here,” he admitted, helping me up off the floor. “Are you sure you're all right?”

“Yeah, I'm fine, don't worry,” I assured him. “I don't know what happened, he just grabbed me. Do you think he knew who I am, that I'm living here and dating Deacon?”

“It's likely he did,” Vlad said grimly. “Otherwise he wouldn't have known to wait for you by the house.”

“Fucking shit,” I muttered, losing my calm as I began to shake. “I never thought – from other vampires – that the threat would be real.”

“I know, I know, it's okay,” he said kindly, showing the softer side of himself that I didn't often see. “We'll keep you safe, don't worry.”

He led me through to the kitchen and made me some tea, telling me to sit at the table and breathe. Viago had been in the pottery room, and Deacon'd been getting dressed when I'd come crashing to the floor, so when they found me sitting there, head resting on Vlad's arm as my hands shook, it's no surprise they were worried.

“Anna, what happened,” Deacon said breathlessly, rushing to my side. “Did someone.. did someone try to force themselves onto you?”

“No, n-not exactly,” I said, swallowing hard. “It was a vampire, he was waiting for me outside the house, attacked me and I think tried to kill me. I just got into the house in time.”

Deacon tensed, and his hands were biting into the wood of the table. Viago was frowning in concern.

I was glad that both Viago and Vlad had the respect not to say 'we told you so', as they'd warned me of the exact same thing happening when Deacon and I had told them about ourselves. Instead all three of them hovered around me, making me feel safe and assuring me that it wasn't my fault. By the time my mug was empty I felt proportionately better, if still a little shaken up, and Viago helped me up to my bedroom. My legs were still sore from my crash landing, but nothing more than some bruised knees.

“I'm sorry, Viago,” I said as he gently sat me down on my bed. “You guys warned me about this, about the danger, and I didn't even take it seriously. I thought you were just being over cautious. Instead I nearly got myself killed.”

He was quiet for a few moments, before slowly sitting down at by my side. Looking at me, his eyes were wide and emotional in a way I'd never seen him before. “I know what you two are going through, you know,” he said quietly. “You and Deacon, I mean.”

“You mean you've been in a relationship with a human before?”

“It was before I moved here, a long time ago. She was the kindest girl I'd ever met, and the most beautiful, and I was smitten with her, “ he began, his tone heavy with what sounded like regret. “Her name was Katherine, and I was utterly in love with her.”

A small smile flashed across his face, before his features returned to a frown.

“We spent our nights together when we could, simply enjoying each others company. I would read to her, and she to me, and sometimes I'd play a tune and she'd sing along. She brought light to my rather solitary life.”

“Did she know what you were?”

“I never told her, but I could tell she understood that I was something different. She never cared though, she would still smile at me the same. So when her family emigrated to New Zealand, I had to follow her.”

I didn't need to hear the rest of the story to know that things didn't go as planned.

“I had to be shipped here in my coffin, as it was the only way for me to remain undescovered. The journey took so long that by the time I arrived, she was already married.”

“Oh Viago,” I said sadly, realising how much loss he'd gone through.

“I wanted to do something about it, get rid of the man, but she was happy. I could never do anything to upset her. So I let her live her life as she wanted, let her have a normal husband with normal children.”

“You did the right thing,” I agreed softly, looking at his sad eyes.

“So you see, I understand what it's like to love someone when there's barriers between you. The vampire world is not always friendly, but it certainly is survivable for one as strong as you. You'll get through it, I promise.”

“You're such a sweetheart,” I smiled, hugging him from the side. “Thank you, you always know exactly what to say.”

“Anything for you,” he said. “You're one of us now, vampire or not, and we'll do everything we can to protect you. You're one of the family.”

“If you keep saying stuff like that you're gonna make me cry,” I laughed, hugging him tighter. “But seriously, thank you. You don't know how much it means to hear you say that after only knowing me a few months.”

After I was satisfied that I'd hugged him enough, he left me in peace to be on my own for a while, just to relax and calm down. I sat under the covers, staying warm and reading, until I shut my eyes for a brief moment an ended up falling asleep half way through a chapter.

During the night I thought I heard someone come in, and the bed dipped behind me as Deacon wrapped his arms around my waist.

“I'll keep you safe, always,” he murmured.

“I know,” I replied, before falling back into slumber.

 


	7. Considerations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Life's never easy, no matter how odd it seems.

For a week or two after the incident with the unknown vampire I tended to stay inside unless necessity required me to leave. If any of my lab sessions finished late I made sure to get a taxi right from the building back to the house, and I stayed home while the guys went into town. Things were relatively peaceful, which is just the way I wanted them. For a while at least.

Soon I began to feel less on edge, and my boredom nagged at me on my days off. Since I had plenty of money saved up from working - as well as a uni fund my parents had started building since I was four – I didn't need to worry about keeping a job in my final year of uni, which was honestly a godsend. It meant I was able to get all my coursework done fairly soon after I received it, and I was a good chunk into my dissertation.

However, this also meant that when I was stuck in the house I tended to go mad with boredom.

My rescue came in the unlikely form of Jackie, along with two new victims for the guys. One of them, a lanky and unshaven man, winked at me as he entered the house, and I swore I caught him looking at my ass at least twice.

“I think you should kill that one,” I whispered to Deacon, making him chuckle.

“Are you sure you're not a vampire?” he joked. “I'll be sure to give him the fright of his life.”

“Thats my boy,” I smirked, giving him a light peck on the cheek before heading off towards the dining room. I'd agreed to play along tonight; I was to be the head sheep. If I acted like things were perfectly normal, it was likely the victims would as well, or at least till a certain point. Made them less likely to run. 

As we all sat round the long dinner table – which I was fairly certain was only used for nights such as these – it was almost amusing to see them freak out the guests. I ate my cold spaghetti with gusto, making sure to compliment the flavour, and had to hide my surprisingly gleeful giggles as they did the same, although looking rather confused. It flashed across my mind that there was probably something wrong with the amount of amusement I was gaining from partaking in what was essentially a murder, but I told myself it wasn't murder, per say, simply playing with their food.

Deacon stood at the head of the table, doing his usual mind trick with the worms, and I had to admit how laughable it was to see someone on the other end of the illusion. He looked.. attractive, standing up there like a cat with a mouse, toying with it before it decided it was time to end the fun. I could tell they were going to wrap it up pretty soon, so I gave Vlad a small nod and excused myself to the bathroom.

I of course intended to retire to my room for the rest of the evening, or at least until they cleaned up, but footsteps rushing towards me caused me to spin.

Before I could react the lanky man had me in a headlock, holding a pocket knife to my face. Vlad and Deacon stood in front of me as I froze in sight of the blade, both with darkened eyes.

“Get back or she gets it in her fucking pretty face,” he sneered, hovering the knife closer. “You freaks stay away!”

Deacon hissed furiously, but Vlad held him back slightly. The latter of the two knew it'd be dangerous to make a move with me in harms way. I could see them debating, and I let out an angry sigh.

“I am not going to let this happen every time you lot have victims over,” I proclaimed, and proceeded to jolt my head back into the attackers face. He recoiled in a groan of pain, and I turned to launch my knee at his groin with full force. It hit him and he collapsed onto the floor, and in order to quell his attempt to scramble away I delivered a solid kick to the stomach.

I looked down at my handiwork with a satisfied grin. “He's all yours baby,” I crooned to Deacon, standing triumphantly with my arms crossed. He descended upon the man, and Vlad patted me on the shoulder with a hearty laugh.

“Good reflexes, you should try fencing sometime,” he said, before joining Deacon.

“Enjoy the meal, boys,” I called, heading back through towards Jackie as if there wasn't a man getting killed in the lobby. At least the man was an asshole.

“You okay? I heard yelling,” Jackie asked, still sitting at the table with her phone in hand.

“Yeah, nothing a good few kicks couldn't handle,” I nodded, taking a seat next to her. She smiled slightly at that.

“You know, I honestly thought it'd change everything, a human being in the house, but it's just made things more interesting,” she said. “I think you're a good influence on them.”

“I'd say they're the opposite on me, considering I just aided in a murder,” I joked.

“Pfft, welcome to my life as a familiar,” she replied, and we both broke out into laughter.

“If I ever develop fangs I'll keep you in mind for the job.”

“Not if I get them before you.”

More laughter spread, despite the rather morbid situation going on down the hall. “We should really get coffee sometime, I don't actually know that much about you,” she smiled. “I wanna know how you managed to get those lot under control.”

“Yeah, I'd love to. You free friday?”

“Yeah, you wanna meet up?”

When Jackie left there was two dead bodies, four satisfied vampires – Petyr got out – and I had a coffee date on Friday. A rather successful evening, if you'd have asked me.

I encountered Deacon, mouth smeared with blood and hair all dishevelled, and as soon as I saw him I just had the urge to kiss him. I swept in front of him with the grin that he matched, and the tangy copper taste was on his lips and mine.

When he pulled away, he frowned slightly. “Uou don't care about, uh, this?” he asked, motioning to the blood.

“You know I'm really not questioning it right now, I'd much rather kiss you again.”

As any gentleman does, he of course complied.

 

\---***---

 

Friday arrived, and I found myself sitting outside a small cafe with Jackie opposite me. The sun was out, with not a cloud in the sky, so I couldn't have felt safer.

“I'm honestly surprised you chose to keep living with them,” she commented, after I explained the fright of my life Vlad had given me when he first found out I was human.

“I've never been one to make rational decisions,” I said with a shrug. “But they seemed nice enough, and promised they wouldn't eat me, so I was fine.”

“Plus, there was Deacon,” she added with a knowing grin.

“Yeah, but that was never really a factor of me staying, more like a pleasant side effect,” I admitted.

“I can't believe he still wears those leather trousers.”

“I think it's because he knows how good he looks in them.”

We shared residual laughter, sipping at our drinks. It was nice hanging out with another human who knew about what the guys really were.

“Do you think he'll ever turn you?” Jackie asked, seemingly out of the blue. “Or at least, do you think you'll ever ask him to?”

My stomach lurched slightly. I didn't like to think about that question, no matter how often it seemed at the back of my mind. “I don't know, really. Honestly, if I asked him he'd probably try to deter me, but if I really wanted to then he would,” I said with bated breath. “It kinda scares me to be honest.”

“I'll let you into a little secret; I never wanted to become a vampire, not originally. But I was faced with either that, or death, so I made my choice.”

I was surprised at the sudden revelation. “But then why keep going after all these years?”

“Because I realised that once I became a vampire, therefore so could my husband. I realised that I'd found somebody I wanted to spend eternity with.”

“I can understand that, but Deacon and I have only been dating a few months, and we're nowhere near married.”

“Yes, but think about it. Being a vampire gives you endless possibilities, takes away the restrictions of being human,” Jackie said with an almost excited grin. “You've got eternity to do anything you want, learn any skill, go anywhere.”

That afternoon I realised something that scared me more than knowing Deacon would turn me if I asked. It was that Jackie's words really resided with a part of me who relished in the idea of being immortal. I felt like I was being torn between two decisions without knowing which was the good and which one the bad.

I had a figure on my shoulder, and part of me worried it was the devil.

Jackie's further conversation managed to snap me back into the real world for a while, but my bus ride home seemed to take forever. I loathed feeling like this, unsure about something, and only hoped it would pass once I graduated.

 _Once I graduated._ I hadn't even thought about my plans once I got my degree. Part of me wanted to travel if no job opportunities came up, but I also knew that getting a good footing in the industry as early as possible was key. And then there was the whole thing with Deacon; if I travelled he wouldn't be able to come with me, at least not without a lot of hassle and lies, and if I got a job it was likely to be outside Wellington.

The only way we could really stay together was if I did become a vampire, and I really wasn't sure about giving up my mortality for someone I was dating.

I pushed the thoughts away, knowing fully well that my future self would hate my current self for simply ignoring the problem. Besides, it was nearing my stop.

Back at the house I realised that the guys were all still asleep, and with all my immediate coursework done I was left with little to do. My idleness led to the worrying thoughts returning, and I perceived to find something to do.

Which is precisely why Viago found me on my knees, scrubbing the kitchen floor at six pm.

“Anna, what are you doing?” he said, standing in the doorway.

“Cleaning,” I replied, sweaty and tired.

“Yes, but why?”

“Because I've got nothing else to do.”

“So you cleaned the kitchen?”

“And the bathroom. I need to buy more bleach, there's still blood stains on the tiles.”

“When exactly did you start cleaning?”

“About half past one.”

“Anna, you need a rest.”

Kind hands were on my arms, helping me up off the floor. My knees and muscles aches, but my headache was worse. “I'm fine, really,” I lied.

“Nobody cleans for almost five hours straight when they're fine,” Viago retorted. “What's wrong?”

“Honestly?” I asked, and he nodded. “I'm worried that part of me kinda is into the idea of being a vampire, and also the fact that the only way Deacon and I could stay together after graduation would for me to become a vampire. I have no idea if I'm ready to give up something like that for someone.”

My troubles spilt out, and Viago was once again there to comfort me. He seemed to be burdened with that task often. “It's not an easy decision to make, a decision not many of us are given, but one that I don't think any of us regret. We are what we are, and although we may have to face hardships and loss, we make new friends along the way. Like you.”

Viago's words were more comforting that he could have known. “I'm scared, legitimately scared. If I'm human I'm in danger, I'm a liability. But I have no idea how being a vampire would effect my life, my family, all of that. I'd be with people I love and care for, but I'd have to watch others grow old and die.”

“You've got till summer till you graduate, it's not a decision you'll have to make right now. My advice is ask yourself if Deacon is somebody you could spend your entire life with. If he is, then there's your answer,” Viago said. “Now come on, you need a sit down.”

He helped me through to the living room, gently placing me down on the sofa. “I'm sorry for being such an emotional burden to you,” I mumbled.

“Anna, you're not a burden to any of us,” he said with a truthful smile, and left to go wake the others. I wanted to believe him, but it was difficult.

 


	8. Problems and Solutions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Petyr gives surprisingly good advice

The last thing I expected to experience while living with vampires was a documentary crew.

We'd gotten a letter in a few weeks earlier, saying that a small, indie film team had been researching the house and it's residents for a good few decades, and had essentially figured out that something unnatural was up. Their letter made it very clear that they didn't want to use the information for harm, only that they were curious and that they'd love to make a documentary about living as a vampire in Newzeland. They said it would help the community and wider world open up to the idea.

I was wary at first, the guys more so, but the idea appealed to me and after some long talks, they asked the crew to come round the house to talk. A kill-free zone, we promised.

The head of the documentary crew – a lovely guy named Ally who had a warm smile – sat around the table with us, taking some notes on paper.

“As you'd expect the main concern for my crew is their safety,” he explained, sipping at the cup of coffee I'd made him. “If filming this documentary, we'd all expect full protection from all of you.”

“Of course, yeah I understand,” I nodded. The guys had asked me to be their representative, and to speak on their behalf since I was more informed on how these things worked (apparently). “We'll promise no harm will come to you and your crew, and you'll all be allowed to wear crucifixes as long as they're not on show unless needed.”

“Thank you, this'll quell a lot of the crew's worried,” Ally smiled. “May I ask, are you a new addition to this den?”

“What? Oh, no, I'm human,” I shrugged, and he looked shocked – the reaction I'd expected.

“So you guys live with humans?” he asked, directing his question at the three vampires beside me.

“Not usually, but Anna is.. an exception,” Vlad shrugged with a small smile. “She's an honorary vampire.”

“Oh, wow, that's really interesting. Is most of the vampire community like that?”

“No, not really,” Viago answered. “In all honestly, Anna stumbled into our lives by accident, but other vampires would not be so keen to have a human flatmate.”

“So how have you found it, living with supernatural creatures?” Ally asked, this time directed at me.

“Honestly? Weird, but enjoyably exciting. I've discovered this entire world living secretly within my own, and it's fascinating,” I chuckled. “Plus, this lot are great company.”

“It's nice to see that co-existance can happen without too much trouble,” he smiled. “That's what we're hoping to do with this documentary – show the vampires are just emotional and rational beings like us.”

“I think it's a great idea,” I nodded, although still slightly worried. “When do we start filming?”

“I'll need to talk things over with my crew, but if all goes to plan we should start filming in about three weeks. Are you guys all okay with what I've explained? Please, if there's anything that worries you like safety or threats, let me know.”

I turned behind me to see all three of them nodding – Petyr had given a surprisingly easy agreement earlier on – and I smiled widely at Ally. “We're all good as long as you are.”

“Great! Thank you so much for doing this guys, and thanks for being so lovely while having me over here,” he grinned, getting up and shaking my hand. “I'll contact you in a few weeks once we have an idea of a filming schedule, and we can work around any alterations you guys feel are necessary.”

I led him off to the door while the guys stayed in the kitchen, and as he walking out onto the front porch he turned to me with a kind look in his eyes. “That guy, Deacon was it? I can tell he cares for you a lot. I presume you're dating?”

The discovery caught me off guard. “How did you-”

“Body language; you can see it on him a mile off,” Ally chuckled. “Don't worry, I understand if you're not wanting that aspect of your life to be shown in the documentary.”

“Thanks, I'll have a think about it,” I nodded. “Safe trip home.”

“Yeah, see you soon!”

When I walked back into the kitchen, all three men were talking among themselves, and the air was thankfully less tense than I'd expected. “How'd you guys think that went?” I asked.

“He seemed nice,” Viago stated with a small smile. Vlad shrugged.

“I'm still not so sure,” Deacon muttered, and I couldn't help but smile as a tiny pout graced his features.

“For all we know it might not even go through, since I really cant imagine anyone sponsoring someone to film a documentary about vampires,” I admitted. “I think it'll be good though, it'll be interesting to see their reaction. Plus, worst case scenario; we pretend its a mock-umentary.”

My vocabulary seemed be lost on them, but all three seemed content with the meeting. Pleased with my nights work I proudly proclaimed that I was ordering a pizza, and that I was going to binge something on Netlfix. Again, they seemed to know what one of those things were, but I didn't have time to explain before the phone was to my ear and I was asking for my usual.

Half an hour and six slices of pizza later, I sat on my bed with the duvet wrapped around me and the laptop playing Season 2 of Daredevil. There was a soft knock on my door, and I expected it to be Viago, but instead it was Deacon.

“Hey, what's up?” I asked, pausing the current episode. “I'd offer you pizza, but I've been warned against it.”

“Nothing, just came to see you,” he shrugged, sitting down on the bed next to me. He wore his usual get up, but his shirt was untucked and something in his movements told me he was feeling off.

“No, really, what's up? Is something about the documentary bothering you?” I asked, wrapping the duvet around his shoulders as well as mine.

He let out a melancholic sigh, and leaned his head on my shoulder. “I'm worry it'll get you hurt again.”

“That other thing was a one off, that's not gonna happen again. I've got werewolves and vampires watching my back,” I assured him, putting my arm around his shoulder.

“Still, I don't want the whole world knowing where you are and how to get at you.”

“I promise I'll be safe. I've got my big buff vampire boyfriend to protect me after all,” I chuckled, then scowled a moment later. “I can't believe I said that without cringing. I think I just took five years off my lifespan.”

“I'm frankly disgusted.”

Laugher always was the best thing about Deacon.

 

\---***---

 

Weeks later, and my conundrum about staying human still hadn't solved itself.

With every passing day I could feel graduation getting closer, and as my dissertation drew near to completion I developed an irrational fear of handing it in. It was as if doing so signified that my time left to decide was dwindling even further.

No word back yet from Ally, but at that point the documentary was the last thing on my mind. I just wanted to know what I was doing, I'd _always_ known what I was doing. I always had school and uni planned way ahead, and I'd always known what I wanted to do with my life. Now, for the first time ever, I was experiencing a crippling fear of uncertainty.

One night it all got too much, and I ended breaking down into tears at the bottom of the stairs. All the guys were out for the night, getting food or just enjoying themselves, but I'd opted to stay home with the false excuse of bad cramps. Vlad had made me a hot tea before they'd left, and wished me a swift recovery from my feminine demons.

And so I sat there, sobbing into my arms at the bottom of a splintered staircase, in a house that was full of mould and flaky wallpaper. The confusion overwhelmed me, and my breathing hitched irregularly.

I felt a presence behind me, and suddenly I stiffened. Turning, I saw the pale features of Petyr looking down at me, his expression unreadable. At that point, I'd never really had a proper encounter with the 8000 year old recluse, let alone been left alone with him. In all honestly, I was scared.

He moved silently, seeming to almost float past, and to my surprise sat down on the steps next to me. He looked right at me with a gaze I'd never experienced before in my life, and something about it managed to calm me down. I gave him a small smile of thanks, and he replied with a tiny nod.

“What the hell am I gonna do man?” I asked, not expecting him to answer but somehow hoping that somebody would.

He didn't reply of course, but instead gave me another look that worked just as well.

“Yeah, I know, I should follow my heart and all that, but what if my heart is wrong? Surely you've been around long enough to know that?”

Another gaze, slightly different this time.

“I guess. Maybe I should stop crying and fretting over this whole thing and just do something instead. Take a leap of faith for once in my life.”

Petyr's eyes met with mine in what I could only presume was his version of a smile.

“Ah fuck it, what's life without a bit of adventure,” I said in agreement. “You know, for someone who doesn't talk, you give really good advice. Thanks man, I really appreciate it.”

Another small nod, and he was gone.

When the boys returned, I marched right up to them, no longer any signs of my red puffy eyes from earlier.

“I've decided,” I said, matter-of-factly.

“About what?” Vlad asked, but I was addressing Deacon.

“The night of my graduation, I want you to bite me.”

 

\---***---

 

Three days later, and Deacon was still unsure.

Vlad, as expected, had picked me up in a crushing bear hug as I'd announced my request. He seemed ecstatic to be able to challenge me to some real fights.

Viago had given me a small smile, asked if I was sure, and accepted my answer without any further questions. I could tell he was happy that it wasn't bothering me anymore.

Deacon reacted as I'd expected. He'd posed the arguments I'd prepared for – you've got your whole life ahead of you, it's not all its cracked up to be, it's a lonely life sometimes – but I simply explained that I'd accepted that as part of the consequences. For the first time, I was sure about it.

He'd agreed on one condition; I definitely wait till graduation, and have a proper think about it. I'd accepted his terms, given him a long hug, and dragged him towards my bedroom.

Now the hardest part of all; telling Anton.

I'd managed to separate him from the pack, asking him to meet me at a small coffee shop for a chat and some lunch. As soon as he arrived I knew he could sense that something was up.

“Look, I'm not gonna dodge around it anymore,” I said with a hint of uncertainty, once the waitress had brought over our pastries. “I have some news, and you've got to promise me you're not gonna flip. We've been through this before, and you really need to listen to me this time.”

Anton frowned deeps, but nodded.

“The night of my graduation Deacon is going to bite me.”

His entire body stiffened.

“Anna, no, please,” he begged. “This sort of life, hiding in the shadows all the time, trying to conceal your true self, I wouldn't wish this life on anybody. You don't know what you're getting yourself into.”

“But I do. I've been living with the guys long enough to know what that life entails,” I insisted. “I'm not jumping into this head first, I've been thinking about it for a long time. But I really think this is what I want to do.”

“What about your degree? How are you gonna justify spending four years studying something when you're gonna be too allergic to the sun to go anywhere?”

“Technology is constantly evolving, now you can teach a class of students without leaving your front door. Uni's are always looking for overseas cover, and they really don't mind doing it over skype.”

“Anna, you're throwing your life away,” he sighed in a low, quiet tone.

“No, I'm not, because my life isn't limited to whether I'm mortal or not. Plus, think of it this way; now you'll never be getting rid of me.”

My attempt to lighten the mood seemed to work, if only very slightly. His hands were gripped tightly around his coffee mug.

“Please Anton, I don't want this to split me from the pack. You're all great guys, and you know that you can trust me even if I am a vampire.”

He let out a pained sigh. “I'll have to talk to the guys about it first.”

“You're the alpha, they'll follow your lead.”

“Yeah, but with something like this I'd feel a lot better having their own opinions.”

“Just let them know that this is my own decision. I'm doing this of my own free will,” I said with a nod. “Besides, I've got till graduation.”

“I should probably go,” he said, standing up without waiting for my answer. “I'll see you around.”

“Yeah, see ya,” I said with the best smile I could muster, and I looked down at his untouched pastry and his half full coffee. It took every ounce of willpower not to run after him and explain more, but I knew I'd said all there was to sat. What happened next was up to him and his pack.

 


	9. A More Relaxing Bath Than I Expected

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anna's feeling down, but Deacon manages to help her relax

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Slightly shorter chapter, just to move the story along. Also I've gotten a bunch of Kudos and nice comments in the past week and I'd just like to say thank you to you all!! I'm eternally grateful for you all having stuck with this odd story I've put together, your support means a lot!

They way Anton reacted left me with a hollow feeling in my chest as I returned home, having bought some groceries on the way. It was only just past three, so the guys were still in bed, and I found myself pacing around instead of attempting to finish my dissertation. Nothing seemed to calm me, and my green tea was left half full and cold. In an attempt to take my minds off things I went for a little explore around the house, into the study and Viago's pottery room. Of course I'd been in them before, but I'd never had a chance to have a proper look.

I ended up – to nobody's surprise – looking at all the old, rather dusty books that sat along shelves and in bookcases. I knew that Viago had been a dandy of his time, and so I presumed most of the books were his. Many were in what looked like German, so I had no idea what they spoke of, but there were a few with gorgeous illustrations. To hold something like that in my hands, something that someone personally spent time painting in the Eighteenth Century, it felt very precious atop my palms. Fearful of tearing the age old paper, I delicately turned the pages in awe of the drawings, seeming to depict a fairy tail with a crooked nosed, sharp fanged vampire. How odd it must have been, I thought to myself, becoming something that parents tell their children about to make them behave. It got me thinking about how easy I have it – the ability to _choose_ to become a vampire, the technology to keep in touch with my loved ones even if I can't leave the house in daylight. For all four men I shared a house with, the adjustment must have been hell. Cut off from the outside world until dark, only letters or ravens to communicate, being forced into this unknown world to be trapped there forever. It made me understand why not all vampires were as nice as them.

I gently returned the book back to its place and moved to the next item on the shelf. There was far less dust on this one, and was much smaller. It opened to reveal paintings, first of young babies and then of red-cheeked toddlers, moving on to frowning pre-teens, still frowning teenagers, and then finally smiling adults. When I looked at last painting – a man dressed in eloquent clothes and holding a glass of wine – I realised I was looking at Viago's family portraits. The figures of his mother and father were behind him in every painting, looking so proud of their darling son. The last one had his mother with her hand on his shoulder, and his father was smiling fondly at him. Those people loved him with all their heart.

I turned the page and was met with blank space. Only half way through the book, the paintings stopped. Turning back to the last one, I saw that he looked exactly the same as he did nowadays, and realised that he must have run away and taken the portraits with him. They stopped because so had he, at least in ageing. The sparse covering of dust made sense as I held in my hands what was likely one of the last connections Viago owned to his family. Knowing they were vampires, it never really hit me just how young they'd all been turned. Viago looked the youngest, no more than 30, and I can't imagine having to leave the only life you've even known before it'd even begun. I put the book back, and decided it was best to stop prying.

Back in the living room the boredom surrounded me again, and I managed to resist the temptation to call Anton. I wanted to explain everything to him in hopes that I could make him see, but my rationality knew he and the pack would need their time and their space. I could give them at least that. So instead, as it was only a few months till graduation, I decided it would be the perfect time to start reading _Game of Thrones._ Three hours later and my procrastination method was successful, and as Viago emerged I was undoubtedly happy to see another person.

“Morning,” I greeted him, lying sprawled across the sofa with book in hand. “You want me to go wake the others?”

“If you want, ya,” he shrugged, smiling back. He got to opening the curtains while I sat up and stretched. “How'd it go today?”

“Huh?”

“With Anton?” Viago was the only one who actually referred to the leader of the pack by name, and not as 'mutt'.

“Oh. Uh, not the best, he said he and the pack need some time to think. It's understandable.”

“I'm sure he'll come around, you make him seem reasonable,” he assured me, but there was doubt laced in his tone. At which part I wasn't quite sure.

When I knocked on his door Vlad's reply was the usual grumble, and when he opened it I launched at him in a tackle. His reflexes were far quicker of course, and he braced against my force and laughed.

“Still too slow, even when I'm just awake,” he tutted.

“You know, one day I'm gonna be able to do that and send you flying,” I sighed half heartedly, no real annoyance in my voice, and punched him in the arm.

“I look forward to the day, now let me get dressed,” he chuckled. “It's not right for an unmarried woman to see a man in his dressing gown.”

“Yeah, I know right, don't wanna burn my eyeballs,” I retorted, dashing out the room before he could insult me back.

Reaching Deacon's door, I didn't even bother knocking. I opened it quietly and peeked at the goofy looking idiot, floating there upside down and fast asleep. Grinning to myself, I leaned down to where his face hung and pressed my lips to his. He was unresponsive for a few seconds, before he realised what was happening and smirked into the kiss. When I pulled away his eyes were looking at my happily.

“Morning, sleepyhead,” I said softly, my face still only inches from his.

“You should wake me up like that more often,” he smiled.”

“Hmm, I'll think about it,” I said, dotting a kiss to his cheek. “Now come on, you do actually have to get up.”

He grumbled something inaudible and I closed the door with a laugh. Vlad appeared round the corner moments later, smirking at me.

“I see you're properly dressed this time.” I taunted.

“As soon as you're a vampire I'm going to throw you down the stairs.”

“Only if you can catch me first,” I chuckled, and we both headed downstairs. Ever since I'd announced my choice Vlad had been more impatient for my graduation than I was. I could tell he was excited to have someone else to mess around with and rough house with, and it crossed my mind to take some martial art classes during the weekends. Just to surprise him. Regardless, it was nice to see that they were accepting of my choice.

“Any word from the film crew?” Deacon questioned, slowly meandering down the stairs after us while scratching at his chin lazily. Never a morning (evening) person.

“I'll check my emails to be sure, but not that I know of,” I said. The lack of any sort of reply from Ally left me worried; not only that the crew may have been reluctant, but also that they may have simply taken our conformation and ran to the nearest supernatural news outlet. Still, Ally had seemed reasonable, and so I gave him the benefit of the doubt. “Any plans for the night?”

“Nah, we all ate recently,” Vlad said. “If you're bored we can go out?”

“No, no, I was just curious,” I said, brushing off the offer despite wanting to take them up on it. Part of me thought that the only sure fire way to distract myself from the imposing guilt I felt after that afternoon's coffee was alcohol. Boy was it tempting, but sensibility told me that it would probably just result in me crying. The guys had already seen enough of that over the months of me living with them. “I might have a bath, now that it's clean and not covered in blood stains.”

“Suit yourself,” he shrugged, heading off into the kitchen. Deacon was beside me, and I put my head to his shoulder and sighed.

“He didn't take it well, did he?” he said, understanding why I was in the melancholic mood. I replied with only a shake of my head, and he stroked my hair affectionately. “It's okay, go take your bath and relax.”

“Mkay, love ya,” I said, pecking his cheeks and heading for the bathroom. As I walked away I got the feeling he wanted to say something else, but when I turned back to check he was gone.

The bath was lavishly large, something I enjoyed the moment I slipped into it. The bubble bath had made a hefty layer of foam, and I closed my eyes as the hot water seeped into my muscles. Slow, calm music was playing from my phone, and I relished in the ability to let my mind shut down and simply enjoy the water.

My breathing steadied, and I could feel myself falling into a light doze. Music drifted around me, my body felt relaxed, and I was able to forget about the events of the afternoon.

I don't know how long I was in there when I felt lips on my neck. I opened my eyes to find Deacon, tenderly kissing down to my collar bone, sitting above me in the bath. How he'd managed to get in there without me noticing was beyond me – I later put it down to vampire trickery – but I really wasn't complaining. In the bath water he was so warm against me, his thighs around mine and his hands on my arms. I pulled him closer, and he grinned.

“Enjoying yourself I see?” he said, in between kisses that were now leading up towards my face.

“I mean I'm not gonna refuse... whatever this is,” I laughed, and I could hear my voice already begin to get a little breathy.

He was at my jawline now. “I'm helping you unwind after your stressful day,” he practically purred, before leaning into my ear.

“So relax,” he whispered, and _oh boy_ did that give me the shivers.

I'll be honest, bath sex was nothing I'd ever really put much consideration into. But _man_ was it something I would from that point on.

Rest assured I left the bathroom relaxed, sleepy, and very very happy. Deacon planted kisses on my cheeks as he carried me towards my room, wrapped in my towels, and I couldn't help but smile up at him. I'd dated many people in my time, both men and women, but never had a partner give such effort and care to me without asking a thing in return. Deacon was utterly doting, placing me on the bed gently and replacing my towels with the warm duvet.

“Get some rest, you deserve it,” he murmured softly.

“Will you stay for a while?” I asked, sleepy and hopeful.

He didn't reply, only slipped into bed next to me and put his arms around my stomach, nuzzling into the back of my neck. “I love you, you know that right?” I said, smiling to myself.

“And I love you too, you crazy woman,” he chuckled.

 


End file.
